Log On!
by Magical Girl Pretty Sammy-Chan
Summary: Mai Yanagi is the last person in the universe who'd ever even think of playing The World! But when she gets an unexpected birthday present and meets a VERY unexpected friend, who knows what'll happen? R&R! CH. 20 UP!
1. Log On!

Author's Notes: Hey! My first attempt at a .hack fic! Basically about a new group of friends finding out that strange things are happening in "The World". Can they meet and save the day?!

Okay, don't be cruel if it's awful, I do my best.

Here we go!

* * *

Log On! By Magical Girl Pretty Sammy-Chan.

"'The World' is so totally cool!"

"I know! I'm a level 30 Wave Master!"

"I'M a level 34 Heavy Blade!"

"Hey maybe we should party tonight! I hear they just made a new area!"

"Cool, what's your member address?"

Mai Yanagi, a high school freshman of the age of fifteen sighed and tapped her pencil lightly upon the paper in her black three-ring binder. Her short, straight, blonde hair bounced and she did so and her chocolate brown eyes glazed over as all the students talked about the coolest MMORPG game... "The World."

Of course everyone had a copy of the game and everyone played together with their Waveyhoos and Bladewhatzits. Mai thought it all very silly, who needed video games when there was always a good book to read or a good story to write. That was Mai's passion, story-writing. She wrote every day and new stories were always popping into her head. Right now she was thinking about writing one about a girl who desperately tried to get away from the annoying students at her school by transferring to Germany where she met her true love...

"Okay students, quiet down, quiet down!" Mrs. Yokomori told the students and they quietly dispersed from the desk they had crowded around at. As the students took their seats, Mrs. Yokomori quickly wrote the days Geometry assignment on the board and the lesson began.

Mai had to stifle a yawn at the boring math lesson. She had already done this lesson, along with five others after it in the textbook. She found school to be extremely easy and sometimes found herself slipping ahead of the class. Often times she had gotten penalized for it. Mai thought this was ridiculous, "What's wrong with getting ahead in life?" she had argued more times than she could count.

The one thing keeping her at least mildly interested in the day was that it was November 8th and that meant it was her birthday. Her parents had already gone out "shopping for groceries" and come back with packages that went into their closets. Mai smiled. She hoped that she would get that new novel collection she had wanted...

"Mai!" Mai's head shot up as Mrs. Yokomori called on her, "If you could come up and do the problem on the board."

"Yes Yokomori-sensei," Mai obediently nodded and did the problem with ease on the whiteboard. Today was her day, nothing, not even monotonous math problems could keep her down.

* * *

"Welcome home dear!" her mother called as she threw open the door to show Mai a giant chocolate birthday cake in the kitchen, covered with pink frosting! Mai didn't especially like the color pink, she liked violet, but a violet cake would look odd and Mai liked chocolate. "Woah! Thanks Mom!" Mai ran in and smiled at the large cake...

"Hey dear!" her father, blonde hair as messy as ever and blue eyes as shiny as ever walked into the room and gave his daughter a hug. "How was school?"

"Okay," Mai gave her usual response, "So...where are my gifts...?"

"What gifts?" her mother asked, blank face. Mai laughed.

"You know, the gifts!"

"We didn't buy any gifts," her mother kid, but looked completely serious. An expression of worry spread over Mai's face...

"Just kidding!" Her father opened the kitchen door to reveal a spread of gifts all over the coffee table. Mai laughed and ran in.

"Hey Mom, Dad?" Mai's little brother, Shizuma ran into the room carrying a wooden play sword, "When are we going to open Mai's gifts? Did I get a gift too?"

"No honey," his mother hugged him, "You'll get gifts on YOUR birthday."

"But that's all the way in April..." he whined, "That's..." he counted the months on his fingers. "Five months away!"

"It'll come honey, it'll come," his mother sat him down on the couch, "Well honey, go ahead, open your gifts."

"Open this one first!" Shizuma picked a crumply wrapped gift that was covered in tape and a bow stuck on quite awkwardly. "I bought it myself!"

"Really?" Mai asked, quite touched at her brother's thought. She smiled and with a bit of difficulty opened the package. It was a scarf, a red one. She smiled and hugged her brother, making him blush, "Thank you."

Mai went through her gifts, opening book after book, new notebook after new notebook, and other things that she didn't really have uses for, but were still thankful for. Finally, she came to the final gift. It was large and rectangular. She KNEW it was the novel set...

"Go ahead, open it," her mother smiled, "It's something I know you'll like."

Mai nodded, "I know I will too," she stifled a laugh and opened the silver wrapping paper. As she did, a look a disappointment and shock came over her face. It wasn't the novel set she wanted. It wasn't even any set of books, or even _A_ book. It was something completely different, the last thing in the world she wanted.

It was "The World."

"I heard all your friends talking about it," her mother smiled and Mai looked at the gift, a look of surprise on her face. Mai didn't mention that those people weren't her friends...or maybe she couldn't, she was too stunned. "How everyone plays it? I thought you'd like to fit in with the crowd."

"I DON'T NEED TO FIT IN WITH ANYONE!" Mai found herself shouting, "I don't need this garbage!" she threw the box into her mother's arms and stormed out of the room. It was a cruel thing to do, but she hated the gift. She hated being just like everyone else. She WANTED to be different, didn't anyone get that?

Mai locked herself up in her room, crying into her pillow. She hated video games, she wanted her novels. She knew she was being selfish, but something about the game just made her want to hate it.

A small knock came on the door. "Who is it?" Mai asked through the sobs.

"It's your mother..." her mother whispered.

"Come in," Mai whispered hoarsely. There was no need to be mean to her mother, she was just trying to get her daughter a gift she'd like.

"I'm sorry you don't like the gift honey," her mother sat next to her and gave her a warm hug. Mai noticed the box in her hand and scowled at it. "I can return it if you want..."

"Please do," Mai told her, "I HATE video games..."

"But..." her mother started, "Maybe you should give it a chance. Do something you aren't familiar with. You may turn out to like it. You've never tried playing a computer game, and this might be a fun experience for you..."

Mai sat on her bed for a second, taking this in. It was true... She HAD never played a video game. She had always had her nose in a book, or writing something with a pencil. If she really let this opportunity pass, how would she know if she liked it or not...?

"I'll try it," Mai finally said and took the box in her hands. "Just try it...if I don't like it I'll send it back..."

"Okay honey, whatever you want," her mother kissed her on the head, "Your brother's scarf is still in the living room."

Mai smiled, "Tell him I'm sorry and Dad too..."

"I will," she nodded, "Have fun."

As her mother shut the door, Mai looked uneasily at the computer in her room. She only used it for school but it did have Internet access. She wearily walked over to it and turned it on. As the computer booted up, Mai opened the large box and took out the contents. A Player's guide on jobs and areas. A user's manual on installation and trouble shooting. The CD's needed to install the game. And the headset she would wear that would put her in it as though she was actually her player.

Mai looked over her User's Manual as she installed the program which was relatively simple. She hooked up the headset and put it on herself as the game started up from the Internet...

PLEASE LOG IN, the screen said and Mai became confused. She couldn't log in, she didn't have anything to log in WITH. But then she noticed another link that said "REGISTER WITH "THE WORLD"" Mai smiled and clicked the link.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD it read and Mai smiled as it went through the tutorials on how to play and such. She finally came to the point where she could make her own character and she smiled. This was kinda cool...

She looked over the jobs. Twin Blade, Wavemaster...six jobs to choose from.... But one called to her. She quickly selected "Long Arm" a spear user and clicked "Proceed."

Now she had to customize her character's body. She picked some armor that was said to be a new model, although to Mai everything was new. The armor had a vest that went up her neck and had a zipper down the front. The character wore a pair of shorts that had longer pants underneath and sleeves that held on at the elbows. Fingerless gloves and a headband completed the look, along with short hair to the shoulders.

Now, she could color the armor and hair. She gave the character pale skin and dark black eyes. She made the vest, shorts, pants, sleeves, and gloves a bright red and the hair was a dark shade of violet. Her starter weapon was a silver spear with a dark brown handle called a "Spear" what else?

Finally, the most important part...naming her character... She looked at the character...and smiled. She typed the name, "Iam" and selected "enter".

Iam, the perfect name for the exact opposite of herself. As she selected enter she quickly selected "Log In" and she was in the world...

* * *

As Iam materialized near a strange portal, she noticed she was in the "Delta Server" and in a strange town. Behind her was a blue portal that her player had read was the place where you could go to areas and other servers.

Iam took the first step and smiled. It wasn't so hard after all.

"Hey!" Iam looked up as someone called out. She noticed it was a man with a strange armor on and an eye-patch. He held a sword and she guessed he was a Blade Master. "Nice character design! Really like the color scheme!" With that he walked off, leaving Iam completely immobilized to say anything back.

"Hey!"a harsh male voice called rom behind her. The voice annoyed Iam and she looked behind her to see a young man, a young man with a bright blue set of pants, a blue puffy vest with long blue billowing sleeves and tall black boots yelling to her. He had white spikey hair and had a bright blue headband on. He didn't look happy, "Hey newbie, you're holding up traffic! Move aside!"

"Hey!" Iam turned around clumsily to defend herself, "How dare you?! I got just as much right to stand here as anyone else!"

"Move aside newbie!" he yelled.

"Who are you anyway," Iam spat, "To tell me to move?"

"I'm Orizo," he told her, "Who might you be? I can tell you're a newbie just by your weapon..."

"Urgg..." she grumbled, "I'm Iam..."

"Iam?" he laughed, "Like I AM? What a lame name!"

"It's pronounce E-am not I am you blockhead!" Iam yelled to the laughing man taunting her, "And Orizo isn't exactly the most wonderful name either!"

"Better than I AM!" he screeched.

"GET OFF MY CASE KNUCKLE HEAD!"

"MAKE ME!"

"IF I COULD FIGHT YOU I WOULD!" she yelled and stomped her feet. "What are you anyway?"

"I'm a Twin Blade, can't you tell?" he held out two daggers for her to see.

"What's your le--" Iam started but was cut off buy Orizo.

"Hey wanna go level together? I know a lot of great areas for newbies," he gruffly rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh..." she smiled, "Sure, why not!"

"Okay, what's your member address?" he asked her.

"Umm...one sec..." she paused as her player looked at her information and found her address. "57434432..."

"Okay," Orizo stopped, "I added you to my friends list, is that okay?"

"Sure, what's yours, I can put you on mine..." she told him.

"56944331," he told her and she added the address to her list and the name "Orizo" popped up.

"Okay, let's go," he smiled and the two partied up. He walked to the blue portal and and Iam did the same. She noticed that she had to put in keywords to get to an area... "How about... Passing Doom's Sunset?" she asked, "It says it's for level 1s..."

"Sure," Orizo smiled, "I mean it'll be too easy for me of course, but you can handle it pretty well."

"Then let's go!" Iam popped into the portal and Orizo followed quickly after her.

* * *

"Eeeks..." Iam stuttered as they entered the area full of yellow portals, "What is this place?"

"It's an area," he rolled his eyes, "If you go into the yellow portals monsters pop out and you fight them. Sometimes monsters come from no where..."

"Oh! That seems easy!" she smiled and walked into one of the portals. A small goblin appeared and rushed to attack her. "Ack! It's angry!"

"Fight it!" Orizo drew his blades and rushed at it. He threw one of the daggers and...

Missed. Iam stifled a laughed and Orizo blushed. "Let me try!" she yelled and drew her spear. A swift attack came across the Goblin's face and it came after her. Orizo drew his blades once again and gave the Goblin two swift cuts. "Eat this!" she yelled and the slashed the Goblin with the spear, defeating it. "Yay! We won!"

"Yeah," he told her, rolling his eyes again, "You'll get about 50 exp for that...I guess...we should probably head down to the dungeon right?"

"Dungeon! That sounds scary!" Iam told him.

"Yeah, but if you get to the final level, you get treasure," he told her and her eyes became wide.

"Treasure! Wow!" she smiled, "Let's go!" 

"Wait," he told her, "Let's fight a couple more monsters up here first."

So the pair fought a few more monsters, easily destroying them and Iam was sure she had almost gained a level.

"Just one more monster and I should level!" she excitedly told him.

"Okay," he smiled and pointed to another portal, "Let's fight one more!" The two charged in and the enemy was defeated even more quickly then before. Iam smiled as a big "Level Up" flashed near her and a message said, "Iam gains Level 2!" "Yes!" she pumped her fist into the air but then saw another message across the screen. "Orizo attains level 3!" she looked at him and then giggled, "So YOU'RE a newbie too eh?"

"Hey!" he blushed furiously, "I'm more experienced then you are!"

"But not much!" she laughed some more, "Acting all big and hot-shot like!"

"Eurrgg..." he gulped, "Let's just get to the dungeon okay?" Orizo blushed some more and walked toward the dungeon, not wanting to make eye contact with Iam.

"Okay," she dropped the subject and the two headed for the dungeon...

The dungeon had been a scary experience, but the two of them had made it and she had earned herself a "Rainbow Card" which she could sell for some money! It was late she realized, almost 10:30 and as Orizo and she teleported back to Root Town in the Delta Server, she sighed, "I have to go now, it's pretty late..."

"Yeah me too," Orizo admitted, "Hey, let's party again tomorrow at let's say...5:30?"

"Great!" Iam smiled and nodded, "Can't wait, don't level too much without me okay?"

"Okay," he agreed and the two logged off.

* * *

Mai took off the headset and wiped the sweat that had accumulated on her brow. "Honey?" she heard a knock at the door, it was her mother.

"Come in," Mai smiled and her mother opened the door.

"Do you like the game?" she asked. Mai scowled.

"Of course not," her mother's face fell, but Mai smiled, "But I promised my friend I'd meet him on tomorrow, so I can't possibly throw the game away." Her mother smiled too and she nodded.

"Of course, now get ready for bed," she told her and Mai nodded. As her mother shut the door, Mai shut off the computer and started to change into her pajamas. "I like Orizo," she giggled, "He's a bit of a screw-up and a big head, but..." she smiled as she climbed into bed, "Something about him makes me wanna hang out with him..."

Mai found herself drifting off t

o sleep, but the last thing she saw in her mind was her computer's blank screen...

The next day at school, everything was just the same, especially in Math class. Mai came in and started reading a new book about a Chinese Girl who ran away from her family after being forced to marry a man she didn't love when she heard the normal chatter of "The World" fans.

"I got to level 24 yesterday!"

"I think I'm gonna try the Beta Server!"

"My grunty just got a bit bigger yesterday!"

Mai looked at them, then back at her book, then back at them, then back at her book. She smiled slightly, put her bookmark in and stood up. She walked quietly over to the desk of students talking and cleared her throat. Silence partook the room and everyone turned to her, "I just started playing yesterday," she smiled.

There was a stunned silence and one girl's mouth even hung over, "Woah...Yanagi plays "The World...""

"Hey everyone, guess what, Yanagi plays The World!"

Soon everyone was gathered around her and she blushed at the attention.

"What class are you?"

"What's your level?"

"Do you have any people on your friends list yet?"

"Can I have your member address?"

"Umm..." she tried to answer all the questions at once, "I'm a Long Arm and I'm only level 2, just started yesterday...I have one person on my friends list..."

"Who? Who? Who!?"

"Umm...his name is Orizo..."

"IAM?!" one voice shrieked and Mai looked over the crowd of people. A boy with short scruffy brown hair and blue eyes came through the class and stood right up to her. Mai noticed he was a little taller than her, with the top button of his uniform jacket unbuttoned. He was Hiromi Mimura, number one slacker in her class. "You couldn't be...Iam could you?"

Mai found herself in a state of utter shock. He couldn't be... "Orizo?"

* * *

It was true, Hiromi Mimura was Orizo and Mai Yanagi was Iam. The number one slacker was a "The World" friend with the number one outcast. Her only friend. The two were awkward around each other, not having much to say to one another at school. Rumors started flying of course. About how Mimura and Yanagi were together and what a cute couple they made. Mai blushed when anyone called her "Mimura's girl" and quickly told them it wasn't true. At lunch time, she sought Hiromi out to find him eating under a tree with his friends. She walked up to him, bag in hand. He ignored her, talking to his friends.

"AHEM!" she did a fake clearing of her voice to make her presence known and Hiromi nonchalantly looked up.

"Oh, yeah Yanagi," he said, trying to put on the "I don't care about who you are" attitude, "What's up?"

Mai's face grimaced and she took her bag and swung it over Hiromi's head.

"OW!" he yelped, "WHATCHA DO THAT FOR?!"

"That's for telling me to move yesterday," she told him, "Can we talk over there?" she pointed to a row of trees and Hiromi shrugged and got up.

"Be right back guys," he told his friends and followed Mai into the trees.

"So..." she started once they had reached the thicket of thick trees and they were alone, "We still on for 5:30?"

"You dragged me here to ask me that?" he asked and shook his head, "You're really weird Yanagi..."

"Call me Mai," she told him and his head darted upwards, "Just Mai..."

"Umm...sure..." he nodded, "Mai, and you can call me Hiromi..."

"Okay...Hiromi," she smiled, "You know, I could just tell all the kids at school how YOU'RE a newbie too!"

He gasped, "You wouldn't!"

"I think I'll go tell your friends right now!" Mai laughed and started to run out from the trees. Hiromi gasped and grabbed her wrist.

"C'mon Mai, don't!" he laughed and she felt herself slipping on the grass.

"Eeeks! Hiromi!" she squealed as she slid onto him.

"I've got you!" He told her as she fell onto him. She looked up.

"Thanks, I thought I was a goner there," she laughed, but then noticed Hiromi's cherry face and the fact that she was lying on him... She notice her lips...only inches away from his. She felt her eyes drooping...

"Sorry about that," Hiromi lifted her up and she shocked back to reality.

"No, completely my fault," she smiled, but her face was still red, "I won't tell anyone about how you're a newbie, I promise," she held out her pinky for him to take.

"Thanks," he smiled and took her pinkie, "It's a promise then."

* * *

Author's Notes: Oooo! Chapter One complete! What did you all think? I know it wasn't extremely long, but it was a moderately long chapter, especially for an opener! What do you think of Mai and Hiromi? Cute couple, want more romance scenes? Tell me your opinions! R&R!

Until then,

Ciao for now!


	2. Mystery of Prisma

Author's Notes: Thanks all my wonderful reviewers! All...5...of you! That's okay, more will pile in! . I'm glad you all at least moderately like the story! Do I make you want to read more?

SwampFox: Thanks! I'm glad you like the couple! They've grown on me too!

Akiko The Fox Demon: I'll do my best!

Uber Flare: Sorry, that was my mistake not to mention that this fic takes place after the game and Beta is a new server I've created myself. I'm sorry, that was my mistake! I'm glad you like the fic though!

FeralCats: I hope you continue to read more!

Final Genesis: Ahhh I love you man! Always reviewing! You're my hero! I hope to get 5 stars this time! OO

Okay! Now! Onto the chapter!

* * *

Mai ran out of her mother's car, threw her backpack to the ground and sprinted into her room to turn on the computer. As it booted up she giggled about what she would do before 5:30. "I have to get to level 3 before Hiromi comes on!" she smiled, "That way we'll be the same level!"

She quickly logged into "The World".

* * *

Iam materialized in front of the blue portal, just like last time and looked around at the town. To tell herself the truth, she hadn't even seen the town when she was leveling with Orizo, she had just killed some enemies and leveled. She decided to go meet some people. 

As she passed she realized this was the town of "Mac Anu" a root town. Next to her was a man that saved your progress. She smiled and quickly ran over to him.

"I'd like to save please," she told him and the man nodded. He quickly saved her game and she smiled, "Now if I die I won't lose my level right?" the man nodded once more. It started to creep Iam out so she decided to go meet some actual players.

"Hello!" she smiled and went up to a large heavy-axe, "I'm I--"

"Wanna trade?" he asked her.

"Umm...I only have one item," she told him, "I just wanted to say hello..."

"Oh," he grunted, "Hi." With that he walked off with his wave master friend muttering about "weird" players.

"Jerk..." Iam sighed as she walked onto the bridge in the center of the town.

"Tell me about it," Iam heard a voice from behind her and she turned around. A girl was there, a heavy blade girl. She had a gigantic sword on her back that could have sliced the bridge in two if that was programmed into it. Her armor was white. A white tank top that ended before her navel and a white pair of tight pants. Tight white armbands and tall white boots completed the look along with red trim on everything. Her hair was a light red as well and it fell to about her mid back. A white headband that fitted over her head kept the hair in place. Her skin was light with red stripes on her face. She smiled and waved, "Hey!"

"Uh...h-hey!" Iam waved to the girl and they met mid-way on the bridge. "I'm Iam, only level 2, just a newbie, I've only been adventuring once, I'm waiting for my friend, I'm a long arm, what are you?!" she said this all very fast, blushing at the ever smiling girl.

"I'm Moyotu," she laughed, "A level 5 Heavy Blade, I'm pretty new too." Iam smiled slightly, she felt comfortable around the girl, she had a warm aura around her. "I'm not waiting for anyone...hey," she put her fist into her other hand, "When's your friend coming?"

"Umm...5:30," Iam told her and Moyotu nodded.

"How about we go fight some stuff? I know a great area!" she smiled, "We can be friends!"

"Iam!" A voice called to her and Iam looked around and saw Orizo running towards her. It wasn't 5:30 yet was it? She wondered what he was doing here.

"Oh, this is my friend Orizo," she smiled and introduced him, "This is Moyotu, Orizo, a heavy blade."

"Pleased to meetcha!" she bowed, the sword almost coming off her back. "I was just talking to Iam here, how would you like to go adventuring?"

"Well that's what I came to do," Orizo gruffly said, not acting very friendly. "What's your member address?"

"55334225," Moyotu recited and Iam and Orizo jotted it down and Moyotu was added onto their friends list. "Okay! What are yours?" They recited their member addresses and Moyotu paused as her player added them. "C'mon, let's go to my favorite area!"

The two followed Moyotu threw the town and as they walked Iam turned to Orizo, "Whatcha doing on so early? You weren't trying to level up without me were you?"

Orizo blushed, "Hey I could say the same for you!"

"I guess you're right," Iam giggled and stuck out her tongue.

"We're here!" Moyotu smiled as they reached the blue portal, "I'll enter the keywords! This is my favorite area in the entire world!"

She paused and entered the keywords and the party was warped away instantly.

* * *

The area was very pretty. It was orange, and looked like leaves from autumn trees had fallen on the ground. "Okay! We're here, now let's fight!" Moyotu pumped her fist, "Look! A portal!"

The group traveled around, fighting lots of monster and Moyotu remained peppy for the entire thing. Luckily, she had the "Repth" spell so they could heal themselves and Orizo had plenty of Health Drinks. Moyotu was an extremely cheerful person and Iam was already happy they were friends.

"Hey! I think we got all the portals out here!" Moyotu cheered, "Let's head to the dungeon!"

"Okay!" Iam nodded, more aware of "The World" jargon now, "Let's go!"

"But before we do," Moyotu smiled, "What do you guys think of my outfit?"

It was an odd question to ask. It's not like Moyotu could change it even if they did like it, but Iam nodded anyway, "Uhh...yeah, it's cute!"

"Hmm...I don't like it much," Moyotu sighed, "I think I'll change."

"Bu-but you--" Iam started but was amazed to see that in a split second, Moyotu's outfit changed colors from red, to black, to yellow and then into a different armor set until it went back to white. "How did you do that?!"

Orizo's eyes were wide with fear, "The-there's no way a regular player could do that..."

"Well I'm not a regular player," Moyotu grinned.

"You-you're," Orizo pointed accusingly at her, "You're a hacker! A cheater!"

"Cheating sounds so devious," Moyotu smiled, "I prefer getting ahead."

"Bu-but all she did was change her clothes, that's not so awful right?!" Iam put herself between the two, "It's not hurting anyone!"

"But I can do more than that!" Moyotu smiled and then paused, "Check my stats."

Iam went to the party menu and gasped to see that Moyotu was now level 99 and had 9,999,999,999 GP. She laughed haughtily, "Isn't that funny?! With just a few flicks of the keyboard I can make myself the best player in "The World." While some stupid people work so hard to level their characters! How stupid!"

"Bu-but...but that's not right!" Iam insisted to her friend, "You should stop right now!"

"It's perfectly fine, no big deal," Moyotu raised her eyebrows, "In fact, I'm offering you guys the chance to learn how..."

"Never!" Orizo stated, unsheathing his blades, "We'll never cheat like you!"

"Don't cross me..." she warned, drawing her blade.

"Orizo...we can't win against her," Iam whispered, "She can completely max her stats..."

"Oh don't worry," Moyotu cackled, "I'm not going to fight you! I don't fight my friends!" She smiled and bowed, "But you know..." she became very dark, "Now that you know my secret...I can't let you escape..." Her cheerful air returned and she waved to them, "Bye bye!" With that, she gated out...

"W-wait!" Iam called, but saw Orizo's hand on her shoulder.

"Just forget her okay?" he shook his head, "There's nothing more she can do, let's just forget we ever knew her, okay?"

"But...but she was...so nice..." Iam whimpered.

"Get over her," he coldly stated and walked toward the dungeon, "There's nothing she can do now..."

* * *

The two traveled threw the dungeon, destroying enemies and collecting exp, but Iam didn't seem as enthusiastic as before. She didn't talk much, only thinking about Moyotu. Finally, they got to the third level of the dungeon and were about to make their way into the next room.

"Hey Iam..." Orizo pointed to something near the door and Iam looked down. It was a lot of purple mist... "What's that?"

"Maybe an event?" she asked and he nodded.

"That's got to be it..." he nodded as if trying to reassure himself more than Iam, "Let's head on in..."

"Right," she told him and the two ran into the room.

"Orizo!" Iam pointed in front of her once they had reached the room and Orizo noticed the giant green scaly dragon thing with light green flakes all over it. Numbers surrounding it, it looked menacing. And next to it...was Moyotu...

"Moyotu!" Iam shouted to her and Moyotu smiled.

"Do you like him?" she asked, "I made him myself. He's a data-bug you see..." she smiled, "With infinite HP..."

"Iam! Shut off your console!" Orizo called to her and she nodded. Her player fiddled with the button on her computer, but it wouldn't shut off, "It's not going off!"

"Damn...me neither..." Orizo took out his blades, "We'll have to fight it!"

"But it has infinite HP!" Iam insisted, "How can we fight that?!"

"Have fun," Moyotu blew them a kiss, "Consider this a farewell from the Prism Players..."

"Prism what?" Orizo asked, but Moyotu had already gated out. "Dammit! What are we gonna do?!"

"Orizo, it's coming!" Iam screeched as the green dragon flew towards them and hit Iam back, "Ow!" she screamed.

"Iam!" Orizo scowled and slashed at the dragon, "TAKE THIS!" His attacks did damage, but the gauge just kept saying (#&$( or something weird like that! "What are we gonna do?!"

"I dunno!" Iam cried, "Just keep hitting it!" she whacked it with her spear again and again and again, but it was no use, it just kept fighting! It couldn't be stopped!

"ARGGHH!" The dragon sprayed green fire all over Iam and her HP reduced to 0...

"Iam!"

* * *

All around her, the room was white... Clean white. Nothing around or below. Just white. She wasn't laying on anything, there was no floor. Iam fluttered open her eyes and saw a black spark over her head. "Who are you...?" she asked the spark, "Am I dead...? For real...?"

The black spark turned and came towards Iam. Soon, the black spark took shape, to form a girl with a long black dress and short scruffy black hair. Her eyes, a dark black shone brilliantly, and she smiled at Iam. "Hello..."

"Hello," Iam smiled, still on the ground, "Am I dead...?"

"No..." the girl smiled. "If you are...so is he..." she waved her head towards a figure next to Iam and Iam gasped to see it was Orizo.

"Orizo, wake up!" she told him.

"He won't..." the girl sighed, "Not until I give you this." She touched Iam's right pointer finger and Orizo's left and a warm sensation took over Iam. She felt the girl's light come over her and when she looked at where the girl had touched, a red ring lay on her finger.

She moved her head to see that Orizo had a blue ring on his left pointer finger as well.

"What...what are these?"

"Data Rings..." she told her, "They can Data Drain the Monster that is attacking you...and make him possible to defeat. It is an item with amazing possibilities..."

"Wh-who are you...?" Iam asked the girl and the girl only peacefully smiled and said,

"Prisma..."

A bright light shined in Iam's eyes and in a second, she was back in the room with the dragon.

Iam looked at her finger, the ring was still there, and Orizo was looking at his too, "What are these things?" he asked.

"I think I know," she nodded, "Just follow my lead, keep hitting it!"

"If you say so!" Orizo wailed on the dragon some more, along with Iam. They kept hitting, and hitting, still no damage being done. Iam managed to keep Orizo and herself alive with Health Drinks, but it seemed that the battle would have no end.

"Keep hitting!" she assured him and slashed her spear once more. Immediately, a green barrier around the monster broke and words above him said "Protect Break." "NOW!" she screamed, knowing the words, knowing how to defeat the monster. She grabbed Orizo's hand and held it to hers, their rings outstretched! Orizo nodded, as if he knew what to do.

They took a deep breath and screamed, "RED AND BLUE DATA DRAIN!"

Red and blue light shot from their rings and the monster's green flakes disappeared. His HP turned to normal!

"We did it!" Iam smiled.

"It's not over yet, get it!" Orizo called to her and she nodded.

The monster was relatively easy to defeat once they had data drained it. Iam finally destroyed it with a slash of her spear and it fell to the ground, motionless. "We...we did it..." she sighed and sat down, exhausted. She noticed a round ball at her feet and picked it up to see it was heavy. "What's this?"

"It looks like a core of some sort," Orizo picked it up from Iam's hand, "It's got an O incrusted in it..."

"Let's hold onto it...just in case..." Iam told him.

"Yeah, I'll take it," Orizo nodded and put the core into his bag. "Let's log out now, before Moyotu shows up again with a new one of those creeps."

"Right," Iam nodded and the two gated out to the town where they immediately logged off.

* * *

"That was scary!" Mai said, taking off her headset, "What WAS that thing? And Prisma too? Who is she anyway? And that strange ring..." Mai laid the headset down and pushed the OFF button on her computer with her right pointer finger.

Her...right...pointer...finger...

Still had a red ring on it. "What the hell?!" Mai screamed and tried to work the ring off, but it was impossible! It wouldn't come off!

"Honey," her mother opened the door, "You have a call from your friend Hiromi..."

"Thanks Mom!" Mai grabbed the phone and talked into the receiver, "Hiromi?!"

"Mai!" his voice came from the other end, "You're not going to believe this, when I shut off my computer my ring wa--"

"Still on?" Mai finished for him, "So is mine..."

"It won't come off! What's going on?!" he asked her.

"If only I knew Hiromi," she shook her head and thought about everything. Moyotu, the Prism Players, the strange rings, the data bug, and Prisma... "If only I knew..."

* * *

COMPLETE! Pretty short, but packed full of action! Are the colors too corny? I happen to like them myself

Again, R&R!


	3. The Third Prism Hacker

* * *

A/N's: Hey! This is Sammy with the third chapter of "Log On!" 

I'm glad I now have...9...reviews! -.- oh well, that's life, I know this section isn't as popular as it should be. Or maybe my fic is just super sucky and no one wants to hurt my feelings Oo;;;

Okay...enough of that, time for the chapter!

* * *

The next day at school, if one person had commented on Mai and Hiromi's matching rings then a million people must have. 

"Oooo, look, you two are bound by love!"

"Where'd you get 'em? They're sooo totally romantic!"

"Are they made out of real crystal?"

Mai and Hiromi had to tell almost every student in the entire school that they were NOT dating and the rings were...ermm...they hadn't thought of that part yet.

It was math class and Hiromi and Mai sat on the same desk being pummeled by the same questions.

"Are you sure you two aren't going out?" a girl asked Mai.

"NO we are not going out!" Mai insisted.

"Where did you get those rings then?" the girl asked, "They're almost identical, except for the color of course."

"Well...erm..." Hiromi started.

"We won them," Mai stated and Hiromi gave her an odd look, "In a contest in "The World". The rings are also added to our character designs. They don't do anything, just increase our Water and Fire defense."

"Oh!" the girls nodded, "So they mailed you real ones too?"

"Uhh...yeah," Hiromi nodded, "That's about it."

"That's sooo cool!" one girl giggled, "I play the world too, I wish I had won that contest."

"So you're not really going out?" another girl asked, a tad bit disappointed.

"Well of course they're not!" a voice came from the back of the room and the group turned their heads backward. The girl that had spoke was a girl with bright blue eyes and platinum white blonde hair in high flowing pig tails. She had a young look about her and was holding two blue and gold pom poms. She jumped off of the desk she was standing on and did a somersault in the air to land gracefully in front of the desk. "I mean," she continued, "They can't be going out, because," she eyed Hiromi playfully and planted a small kiss on his cheek! "Hiromi-sama's going out with me!"

"WHAAAT?!" Mai screamed, blushed and turned to Hiromi, who looked positively dumbstruck. "HIROMI!?"

"I'VE NEVER EVEN SEEN THIS GIRL!" Hiromi desperately tried to defend himself. "I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO SHE IS!"

"Silly you!" the girl pulled his cheek, "We're in love right?"

"LOVE?!" Mai loomed over her, "Excuse me miss, but Hiromi here has never mentioned you to me, what might your name be?"

The girl huffed slightly, but pulled out her pom poms and did a cartwheel back in the hall between the desks. She jumped and spun to land gracefully to applause. She bowed and then spoke, "Ayumi Kanzaki! Cheerleader and lover of Hiromi-sama!"

"YOU'RE NOT MY LOVER!" he yelled to her.

"HIROMI!" Mai yelled at him, "WHAT'S WITH THIS?!"

"I don't see why you have to be so jealous," Ayumi hugged Hiromi around the waist, "After all, you SAID you weren't his girlfriend!"

"Well, yeah, but--" Mai stated but was cut off by Ayumi when she glanced at their fingers.

"Hiromi-sama!" she scowled, "How could you have gotten matching rings for you and this girl and not for me, your girlfriend?"

"YOU'RE NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!"

"We won them!" Mai stated, starting to believe the story herself, "In a contest while playing "The World"." She smirked in Ayumi's face, "We're ALWAYS playing together..."

"Hrmph!" Ayumi turned to Hiromi, "Hiromi-sama! Why didn't you tell me you played "The World"?"

"BECAUSE I'D NEVER HEARD OF YOU BEFORE!"

"Well, then I think I know how to settle our little conflict," she told Mai, smiling, "I happen to play "The World" myself. How about we meet on together tonight at 6:00 P.M.? I'm a level 5 Wave Master, so if you want to level up before me that's fine."

"You're not saying we're going to fight each other?" Mai asked, gulping at the fact that she was only a level four Long Arm.

"Of course not!" Ayumi huffed, "Player Killers are despised in "The World"! Instead, we'll hold a contest. Each of us will go to a certain area and count the number of portals we open and defeat! No cheating when you count cause I'll know from my map and the fairy's orbs that both of us will use! Monsters that come from no where don't count, they're just bad luck for you. Then we'll fight in the dungeon with fairy's orbs and go down to the next level at the same time! The one to defeat the most portals wins!"

"Sounds good!" Mai smiled.

"And the winner gets Hiromi-sama's heart!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Mai continued to smirk and Hiromi blushed slightly, looking at Mai. "See you on the game!"

"See you!" Ayumi did a back flip backwards and out of the room.

* * *

That night, Mai got home around five o' clock to level her character before Ayumi's challenge came to her. She logged into "The World" and noticed that she had new e-mail. She opened it up and saw Orizo's picture on the e-mail labeled, "You Don't Have To."

She opened it up and saw that the message read:

Hey,

About Ayumi's challenge, you don't have to do it you know! I can tell Ayumi to bug off myself, thanks for sticking up for me and all but...I'm a guy! I'm supposed to be protecting you, not the other way around!

Well...if you want to that's fine,

Orizo

Mai felt herself blushing as she finished the e-mail, but quickly replied:

Orizo,

Hey! Got your mail, thanks for being considerate, but this is between Ayumi and myself, I'm NOT backing down!

Thanks again,

Iam

She sent the e-mail back to him and clicked on "The World" button on her desktop. As she logged into "The World" menu she saw that there were new board messages, and she clicked on it to see what it was.

She scrolled down until she finally found the one with the yellow bar next to it. Her eyes widened as she saw the title, "FRIEND IN COMA, PLEASE HELP!"

The message was from a player named Wikiwen and it read:

HELP!

Someone has got to help me! My friend and I were playing "The World" and we were attacked by a weird monster with infinite HP! My friend was beaten by it, but I was able to escape! His mom called me and told me that he wouldn't wake up and had gone comatose! Someone's GOT to help! Is it Pluto's Kiss all over again?! Or what happened five years ago?

The area we went to was **Delta, Chosen Grieving Widow**! It looked really weird and it creeped me out!

HELP!

As Mai closed the board message, she thought about the strange area mentioned. Something about the weird monster with infinite HP. It was a Data Bug... The kind she and Hiromi had fought before! But why would Moyotu attack innocent players!? There wasn't any report of another player being there. What in the world was going on? All she knew was that she wasn't in the mood to fight another data bug; this message would keep people away from the area... But that player...

She noticed it was almost 5:30 and she quickly logged onto "The World".

* * *

Iam materialized in front of the Chaos gate and quickly went to find an area to level up in. As she cycled through possible keywords, she bit her lip when she came to Chosen. She selected it, and Grieving after that. He cursor was set on Widow when she quickly went down and selected a different one. "It's none of my business," she sighed and quickly warped to the level 3 area.

* * *

When she came back, she was level 5 and it was almost 6:00! Ayumi would be on any minute. She quickly ran to save her progress and waited by the Chaos Gate. Her player glanced at the computer's clock. 6:05... "She's late!" Iam huffed, but then felt a hand on her shoulder. "EEEEKS!" she screamed and spun around to see Orizo waving at her. "Oh..." she breathed deeply, "It's just you Orizo..."

"I got your message," Orizo told her, "You're not really going through with this are you?"

"You bet!" Iam told him, "If I don't, Ayumi will have a field day and I won't be able to stop her!"

"I guess." Orizo nodded and stood still for a few seconds. Neither player spoke as an ominous silence filled the Chaos Gate area. "Hey...umm...Iam?"

"Yeah?" she asked him, still surveying for any sign of Ayumi.

"Wha-what exactly..." he stopped to reword his question, "Well, when Ayumi told you that the winner would...umm...win my heart, you still accepted. What...what did you mean by that?"

Iam felt her face becoming extremely red. She HAD said that! And now she had to cover her tracks, "Umm...well...what...I um...mean...is..."

"I'm HERE!" Between the two players, a girl materialized. She had a staff with a cross on it and Iam could only guess she was a Wave Master. The girl wore a long yellow dress with a lighter yellow skirt underneath and yellow slippers. The dress had long yellow sleeves and the girl had cute blonde short hair with a halo dangling over her head. "Ready to fight Yanagi?!"

"I'm here!" Iam sighed, thankful to be out of the conversation with Orizo. "And so is Orizo...or "Hiromi-sama."

"Orizo-sama!" the girl hugged him, "You came to see my victory!"

"NO! PLEASE GET OFF ME!"

"Anyway, introductions!" the girl nodded to them and bowed, "My name is Chikoro!"

"Iam," Iam told Chikoro, shaking her hand with slightly more force than necessary.

"Shall we go?" Chikoro asked Iam, gesturing the portal, "Mind if I pick the area?"  
  
"Go ahead," Iam spat and walked forward.  
  
"Iam..." Orizo whispered to her, trying to stop her from getting into anything she would regret.  
  
"Then...how about this one?" Chikoro paused and then smiled, "**Chosen, Grieving, Widow**."  
  
"You're joking!" Iam insisted, "That's the infected area on the boards! Where that guy went into a coma! There is zero way I'm going there!"  
  
"Scared?" Iam felt a vein start to pulsate in her head. Chikoro gave a hearty laugh, "Well, you said I could pick the area. If you refuse to my terms then you'll just have to forfeit I guess..."  
  
"Fine!" Iam screamed, "I'll go!"  
  
"That's what I like to hear," Chikoro smiled and then stepped through the portal, "Last one there is a rotten egg!"  
  
"Come back here!" Iam jumped head first into the portal after Chikoro, leaving poor Orizo alone to wonder about what his friend had just jumped head first into...

* * *

"Well, here we are..." Chikoro told her as they both landed in the area. Iam gasped as she saw what had happened to the place. It was a forest with trees and grass everywhere...but what was really strange was the fact that it looked broken. As if someone had taken pieces of the graphics away, only leaving the 0s and 1s that made up the CG surrounding them. The area shook from time to time, like static on a TV. Iam and Chikoro looked fine. Iam saw that Chikoro looked completely calm and tried to make herself calm as well, not wanting Chikoro to see that she was afraid. But little did Iam see Ayumi's hand sweating over her controller. "Shall we start?"  
  
"I...I guess..." Iam nodded warily, talking a small step forward, then breaking into a run, getting a Fairy's orb out and heading towards the closest portal. Chikoro headed the other way, grabbing her first portal as well.  
  
Soon, all the portals had been cleared and Iam headed towards the dungeon, where Chikoro was waiting. "Finally!" She rolled her eyes and tapped her foot on the ground, "How many did you get?"  
  
"8..." Iam told her.  
  
"I got 8 too," Chikoro raised her eyebrows, "Then I suppose it's time for the dungeon! Follow me!" She ran in, Iam following her down the stairs.

* * *

"Fairy's orb!" Chikoro and Iam both threw Fairy's orbs into the air and Iam saw the layout of the dungeon. Luckily, there were a lot of rooms, so she could get to some before Chikoro. "Shall we go?" Chikoro asked her, smiling wryly.  
  
"May the best player win," Iam told her.  
  
"Don't worry," Chikoro smirked, "I will." With that, she ran off, leaving an enraged Iam alone to fight with her side of portals.

* * *

"I'll – show – her!" Iam screamed as she defeated her next portal of monsters. She smiled triumphantly, "That's 16! And this is the fourth level!" She ran into the next room, and scowled as she saw Chikoro waiting for her. And then...she gasped at what was at her feet. The purple smog...like before. "Chikoro..." she started.  
  
"I got 16, like you" Chikoro nodded her head, "And this is the last room. The fastest one wins the prize and Orizo-sama!"  
  
"Chikoro, don't go in there!" Iam insisted, "You've gotta stop!"  
  
"Scared?" She asked and then ran into the room before Iam could stop her! "Hah! The prize is mine!"  
  
"Idiot!" she screamed and ran in after her.

* * *

"AAHHHHHHH!" Chikoro screamed as Iam saw what she thought she would. As she burst through the door, she saw a screaming Chikoro staring at a large red stingray, covered in green scales. A data bug. "Th-that's a really weird monster! That's not in the strategy guide!" 

"That's because it's a Data Bug!" Iam insisted, pulling out her spear, "Look, just attack it! I'll handle it from then on!"

"Well...okay..." Chikoro quickly sent a Friend's message to Iam and Chikoro was added to her friend's list. "Let's join in a party!"

"Not much else we can do!" Iam insisted and invited Chikoro to her party. The two, once formed, looked at each other and nodded. Then, they unleashed an all out assault on the monster.

"GAN DON!" Chikoro yelled and stones attacked the monster. She looked at its HP and gasped, "It's full of weird symbols! It didn't go down at all!"

"That's because it has infinite HP!" Iam told her, hacking at the monster, taking hits and hate.

"Then why are we attacking it stupid?!" Chikoro asked, dumbfounded and scared.

"Just trust me!" Iam told her, "Just keep hitting it!" She grit her teeth as her spear get stabbing. "Moyotu...why make this one? Nobody knew your secret... What's wrong?"

"Stop mumbling and fight!" Chikoro snapped Iam out of her conversation with herself as she cast another spell, "Vak Kruz!" The fire converged on the Sting Ray, making it writhe in pain. Iam gave it another fatal swoop with her spear and she smiled as the words "Protect Break" came over it. "Now what?!" Chikoro asked.

"Leave this part to ME!" Iam held out her right hand, her ring extended and pointed at the monster! "RED DATA DRAIN!"

"OW!" Chikoro screamed as she was infected with poison. Iam felt herself not being able to move. She was paralyzed! "How's THAT handling it?!" Chikoro screamed, helping herself and Iam to remedies and antidotes. "What now genius?!"

"I don't get it!" Iam told her, "It worked last time!"

"Think..." A voice crept in the back of Iam's ear and she felt a bead of sweat trickle down her neck. She turned around, as did Chikoro and Iam gasped as she saw none other than Prisma standing there in her black robes.

"Is she going to help us?" Chikoro wondered out loud, "What class is she?"

"Think..." Prisma repeated to Iam again and Iam did think. She thought long and hard, and then gasped as she remembered what had happened.

"_RED AND BLUE DATA DRAIN!"_

She had been with Orizo! Their Data Drain was double the power! "Your ring alone is too weak to fight the monster..." Prisma explained, "You'll need help..."

"Crap..." Iam muttered as the monster drew closer, now recovered from the deep gash that Iam had created, "But...but Orizo isn't here!"

"Child..." Prisma held out a long, pale finger and motioned to Chikoro, who was looking extremely frightened. "Come here...I won't hurt you..." Chikoro gulped and then silently made her way over to Prisma who smiled weakly. "Give me your hand..." Chikoro held out her right hand and Prisma lightly touched her middle finger. "You have the power of the .hackers..." Prisma smiled, "Use this ring to defeat the Data Bug..." In a flash of bright light, Iam shielded her eyes. When she looked up, she noticed a shimmering yellow ring on Chikoro's finger, Chikoro looking at it. She turned to Iam.

"So...those rings...that Orizo-sama and you had were..."

"Our power to beat the Data Bugs," Iam nodded to her and held out her ring, "Come on! We've got to Data Drain it before it changes back!"

"Right!" Chikoro nodded and then ran up to Iam, her finger outstretched next to Iam's, pointing straight at the monster, as if to challenge it! "Ready?"

"When you are!" Iam nodded.

"Right!" Chikoro took a deep breath, then glared at the monster with determined eyes. She and Iam finally screamed: 

"RED AND YELLOW DATA DRAIN!" Red and yellow light shot from their rings, dissolving the green flakes, turning the monster to normal! "Let's get it!" Iam told her and Chikoro grinned and nodded. The two launched an all out assault and soon the monster was disposed of!

"We did it!" Iam cheered, but then noticed Chikoro looking slightly frustrated, and then, a pout spread across her pale face. "What's wrong?"

"Well...you were the one who knew how to defeat the Data Bug..." She sighed, "I guess that it's only fair that that portal go to you..."

"You're still on that stupid contest?!" Iam asked disbelieving, "After you could have died?!" 

"You win," Chikoro sighed and then started to walk sulkily out of the room, "I resign. You can be Orizo-sama's girlfriend..."

Iam would have been cheering, but Chikoro looked so sad that she couldn't help but feel sad for her. Just as the angel wave master was about to walk out, Iam called out to her, "Wait!" Chikoro turned around and looked at her with empty eyes. Iam smiled widely, "We were a party right? So that means we each get half that portal!" Chikoro's eyes lit up, "So I guess it's a tie. We'll have to settle this conflict later!" Chikoro paused, then smiled and nodded.

"You bet Iam!" She told her, "And next time I SHALL be the victor!" 

"Iam!" A voice from the back of the room called to them, and Iam smiled as she saw Orizo running into the room, out of breath, "I saw that strange post and got worried! So I came after you guys, are you okay?"

"We're fine," Iam insisted, "There was a Data Bug, but we got rid of it. And look!" She pointed to Chikoro's hand and showed off the ring, "It seems that Chikoro has joined our group."

"That means we'll be hanging out together every day Orizo-sama!" Orizo was immediately met with a large glomp from the wavemaster, and Iam felt her blood pressure rising, "We'll always be together!"

"Ack! GET OFFA ME!"

"Hahaha!"

"EERRG! DARN YOU!" Iam screamed and ran after her, but she was too quick to log out. Iam growled to herself as the sneaky wave master disappeared, but stopped as she saw Orizo looking at her. "What?"

"So..." Orizo asked as they Iam sifted through her bag for a Sprite Ocarina, "Who won?"

"Hmm...?"

"The contest I mean..." 

"Oh! It was a draw," Iam told him, and he blushed, slightly. "But we'll have a rematch!" She smiled kindly at him and his face started to match the color of her clothes, "And that time, I'll make sure to win!"

Orizo nodded and the two warped back to Mac Anu...

Little did they know that someone was watching them...

"Well...it seems that that Data Bug was too weak..." A voice came from the shadows, "I'll have to make it stronger next time..."

All of a sudden, with a clack of shoes, none other than Moyotu, dressed in her white Heavy Blade attire landed in the room and looked around worriedly. She didn't see anyone, and sighed, "I thought this was your doing..." she breathed and looked up, "I saw the board message and I don't approve of this behavior! Data Bugs are to be made for one reason and one reason only!" She was met by no response and sighed heavier, "Come out Circeca!" From the shadow arose a woman with white dog ears that matched her dog tail. She was a Werewolf. She had blue spiky short hair to her shoulders and was wearing a white long sleeved top with short shorts and white long boots. Around her neck was a blue fur boa. Her armor was all decorated with blue engravings in the shapes of ancient runes and she smiled as she met Moyotu.

"Sorry Moy," she bowed to her and came up smiling. Her blue eyes sparkled, "I just wanted to have a little fun...after all..." She gave a small skip, "What's the point of making Data Bugs if you can't have fun with them?" She ran a claw down Moyotu's cheek, "I though you taught me that..."

"I suppose..." Moyotu nodded, "After all...he was just a stupid player...who cares if he dies anyway?"

"I sure don't..." Circeca smiled, "And I doubt the rest of the Prism players do either..." She laughed, as did Moyotu and the two quickly gated out back to wherever they came from...

* * *

A/N's: COMPLETE! Do you like? Do you like?! Tell me! I hope you do! 

As always, R&R PLEASE!

Till then,

Ciao for Now!


	4. The Perfect Party

Author's Notes: Hey Minna-san! I want to thank each and every one of you for your awesome reviews! What Koori said about my fic becoming the next .hack really touched me. I would love to see this become a manga/anime/video game (it would probably be a better manga or anime then a game). Please, keep reviewing, I absolutely love you guys!

Okay, now onto the fourth Chapter!

* * *

Log On!

Chapter 4 – The Perfect Party

Mai thought that Ayumi being a ring holder was a good thing. She hung out with them a lot now and the three ate lunch together frequently. Mai and Ayumi had become pretty close and Mai even thought they could be friends...

How wrong she was.

Every lunch, Ayumi sat with them, that was true. But also, every lunch, Ayumi hung over Hiromi, making him eat her food and flirting shamelessly with him. Mai felt her face becoming red every time Ayumi made moves toward her best friend. "Say Ahhh Hiromi-sama!" She laughed, holding out a piece of rolled omelet with chopsticks. Mai chewed her Yakitori chicken hastily, as if trying to ignore the scene before her. "I made this omelet myself!"

"Ermm...ahhh," Hiromi reluctantly opened his mouth and Ayumi plopped the omelet in. As she chewed, he smiled lightly, "Hey, this is good Ayumi!"

"Oh Hiromi-sama, you're too kind! You flatter me!"

"No really, it's great!" Hiromi smiled and Mai felt her blood pressure rising. She jumped up and ran over to Hiromi, her Yakitori box in hand.

"Here!" She extended the chicken to him, "Say ahhh! I made this chicken myself!"

"Then why is it in a store bought package...?" Ayumi asked deviously, pointing at the plastic container the chicken was kept in.

"Ack!" Mai blushed, "Okay...so I did buy it. I can't cook at all, but I have excellent taste when it comes to buying food!"

"Ahhh!" Mai blushed as Hiromi bit the Yakitori off the stick it was skewered on and chewed lightly, "This is great Mai!" He nodded to her, "You DO have good taste! Here," he pulled out a piece of sushi from his lunch and held it out to her, "Say ahh!" Mai blushed and looked at it warily, "Don't worry, I'm a good cook. I do all the cooking at home." Mai smiled and bit the sushi.

"It IS good," she nodded once she swallowed, "You're a great cook Hiromi! Where did you learn to cook like that?"

"Oh...I learned by myself," he told her, nodding.

"Really?! That's so great!" Mai exclaimed and Hiromi blushed, "That's really cool Hiromi!"

"Hey, stop flirting with my boyfriend!" Ayumi glomped her arms around Hiromi's neck and nuzzled against his cheek.

"ACK! He's NOT your boyfriend!" Mai threw Ayumi off.

"But I have a ring just like his!" She extended her middle finger and waved it at Mai, "See?"

"Grrr!" Mai blushed as she saw what Ayumi was doing, "YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE!"

"Hee hee!" Ayumi giggled, "Hey speaking of which!" She became suddenly serious, "We should probably keep an eye out for more of those Data Bug monsters so we can defeat them and bring peace to "The World"!"

"I don't see how it's any of our business," Mai told her sternly and took another bite of her lunch. "Since when are we "The World"'s saviors?"

"But we have the power to get rid of them," Ayumi pointed out, "Shouldn't we get rid of them if they're hurting people?"

"No, we shouldn't," Mai snapped at her and Hiromi sighed. To him, it was obvious why Mai was angry.

"Mai..." He began, "Moyotu isn't our friend anymore. She attacked us and innocent players. We have to think of her as an enemy now."

"I don't have to do any of that!" Mai snapped at him and then collected her lunch and started to get up, "Moyotu's still our friend, I know it! I'm not hungry anymore...I'm going to the library..."

"Wait Mai!" Ayumi called out to her and Mai stopped and turned around, "Let's play tonight! It'll be fun..."

"Ayumi's right..." Hiromi nodded, "How about 4:30?"

Mai thought for a second, then sighed and shrugged, "Sure, I guess I could."

"So we'll see you on tonight?" Ayumi asked smiling.

"Sure," Mai smiled weakly, "You bet."

* * *

At about 4:00 after school, Mai logged onto her computer and saw that she had some new e-mail. She opened it and saw that the message was from Chikoro and it read "Some Answers Needed."

Iam,

Hey, this is Chikoro. I wanted to ask you about what Orizo-sama was saying at lunch. Who's Moyotu? How is she connected with the Data Bugs. I'm a ring holder too! I deserve to know!

Chikoro

Mai felt her face becoming red and her anger slightly rising as she read this. She quickly clicked the "Reply" button and titled her message RE: Some Answers Needed

Chikoro,

Look, Moyotu had nothing to do with that Data Bug we found! There was no report of another player there was there? I don't think so! So that proves it wasn't Moyotu's fault! Moyotu is a good friend of mind and Hiromi's...she's just a bit confused right now.

Iam

Mai sighed and rolled her eyes as she exited out of the message. But then, her eyes widened as she saw she had another message, this one from CC Corp, creators of "The World". The message was titled "Special Weapons Giveaway!" She clicked on the e-mail and read what it had to say:

Dear Valued Customer of "The World",

Today, for this day only, we are having a very special event on the Delta Server! This special event is entitled "Weapons Race" and is open to all players.

If your party succeeds in the tasks given to them, you will be awarded special and rare weapons for your class and formatted to fit your level! This event is being held at

**Delta, Billowing Forbidden Sun Demon**

Only 50 lucky players can have these rare weapons! Come quickly, before they're all gone!

Signed,

CC Corporation

This was so cool! Mai quickly logged into "The World" Log In Screen and heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that there were no new board messages. She quickly logged as the clock almost reached 4:20.

Iam materialized quickly and saw that a lot of people were heading towards the Chaos Gate. "Eeeks!" She cried, "I hope Chikoro and Orizo get here before all the cool weapons are gone!"

"Hey Iam!" Iam looked up to see Orizo and Chikoro coming over the bridge of Mac Anu, racing towards her, "You finally got here! You got that e-mail about the special event right?"

"Did I ever!" Iam nodded, "Quick, let's get those cool weapons! Mine definitely needs an upgrade!"

"We're all Level 7 right?" Chikoro asked and the group nodded. It seems that all of them had gained two levels from the excursion the other day, "Then great! Let's form a party!" The group formed a party and ran to the Chaos gate to get to the special area.

"Okay..." Orizo looked over the keywords, "**Delta, Billowing Forbidden Sun Demon, **right?"

"That was it!" Chikoro nodded, "Quick, let's go!" With that, the group warped to the area.

* * *

As the group materialized in the area, they saw that it was a vast desert with cacti everywhere. They also saw a few other parties heading toward the dungeon. "Quick!" Iam told them, pointing toward the dungeon, "We have to get there before there are no more weapons left!" They all started to sprint towards the dungeon with all their might, not wanting to be left out of the rare weapons. As they entered, they heaved a sigh of relief as they saw the NPC still standing in the room. "Welcome to the Weapons Race. In the back of B1 is a room with a monster. Defeat this monster andcollect the item it drops to gain the weapons. Be quick, others might get to the monster before a new one is created."

"C'mon!" Chikoro grabbed Iam and Orizo's wrists, "I want those weapons!" The group trudged along with Chikoro through the dungeon, another party wandering through with them. Finally, they reached the large room in the back and went inside.

* * *

FIRST MONSTER: (It read across their screen) DEFEAT IT USING ONLY MAGIC

"That's my department!" Chikoro ran up to the monster as it materialized. The monster was a large dog with three heads, a fire type monster called a "Guard of Hell". Chikoro did not waver as she raised her staff and screamed, "VAK KRUZ!"

"No!" Orizo told her as the spell hardly affected the monster, "It's a Fire Type! You need Water spells!"

"Well you could have told me that sooner!" Chikoro rolled her eyes and raised her staff again, "RUE ZOT!" The monster fell back from the elemental damage and Chikoro pummeled it with more of the same spell, "RUE ZOT, RUE ZOT, RUE ZOT!"

Soon, the monster was destroyed and done with and the group cheered. Then, where the monster had been, a treasure chest appeared. "Ooooh! Treasure!" Chikoro smiled and opened the chest. As it opened, she took out a piece of paper that said, "The sound that a cat makes..." Chikoro looked at it oddly, then stuffed it into her bag. "Wonder what it does, oh well! Let's keep moving!" With that, the group ran down to the next level.

* * *

As the group reached the next room, another monster appeared, this one reading:

SECOND MONSTER: DEFEAT USING NO MAGIC

The monster that materialized was a Mu Guardian, a flying machine with long metal talons to destroy them. "Well that's easy," Chikoro smiled, "Let's go!"

Iam and Orizo rushed forward, "Hyah!" And attacked. As they fought and fought the monster steadily wore down their HP. "Chikoro!" Iam called to her, "First aid!"

"Right!" Chikoro nodded, "La Repth!"

In a second, a white light flashed and they were back in the first room on the second floor. SECOND MONSTER: FAILED. It read across their screen. TRY AGAIN. "You mean we're not allowed to use magic on ourselves either?!" Orizo asked indignantly, "Then how're we supposed to survive?"

"I have plenty of Health Drinks," Iam pointed out, opening her back and nodding to the many vials, "So, I guess I'll heal..."

"Trade them to me," Chikoro held out her hand, "You need to focus on attacking. I'll heal." Iam looked warily at Chikoro and Chikoro rolled her eyes, "I'll give them back, jeez!"

Iam reluctantly let Chikoro use her Health Drinks, and the next time they faced the Mu Guardian, the group, working as a team, quickly disposed of the monster and another chest appeared. This time Orizo went up to it and opened it carefully, "Rhymes with the beginning of the nology that you just fought." Orizo's eyebrows raised and he too stuffed the scroll in, "What is with this event? Nology isn't even a word. Do they mean "no" as the beginning? It's confusing..."

"I don't know." Iam shrugged her shoulders, "But we should probably keep going, the next room is the last, then we can get those items!"

"Wait!" Chikoro told her and Iam turned around, "You forgot your Health Drinks." She quickly gave back Iam what was left of the Health Drinks and Iam looked pleasantly surprised.

"You actually gave them back..."

"Of course!" Chikoro rolled her eyes, "We're a party right? We can't have people not being honest with each other can we?"

Iam bit her lip and nodded, "I guess not...

"C'mon!" Orizo motioned to them, "Let's get to the next floor!" The two girls nodded and they made their way down to the next level.

* * *

"There it is!" Chikoro pointed as a small Skull Warrior appeared, menacing at them, "That's the last monster!"

THIRD MONSTER: DEFEAT WITH ONE BLOW

The group remained silent for a moment, "What...?" Iam asked, "But that's impossible! None of us are strong enough for that!"

"But then how do we defeat it with a single blow?" Orizo asked, "It seems close to impossible!"

"Well they wouldn't have put it in the event if it wasn't doable!" Chikoro told them, "Let's try it! GAN DON!" The earth converged on the monster and it fell back, staggering. Then, it died. "We did it!" Chikoro laughed, "We actually beat it!" A couple seconds passed, but the monster didn't de-materialize. No chest was revealed. The group looked around silently. "Well..."

In a flash of white light, they were returned to the first room on the third floor.

THIRD MONSTER FAILED

"What?!" Chikoro asked, enraged, "THAT'S STUPID! IT DIED WITH A SINGLE BLOW RIGHT?!"

"I don't get it..." Orizo asked, "We beat it with one spell..."

"Maybe magic won't work!" Iam told them, "Let's try a physical attack!"

"Yeah!" Chikoro nodded, "Let's try again!"

The group rushed in and Iam gave the monster a critical hit with her spear and the monster fell over dead! "We did it!" Chikoro cheered again, "We actually did it!"

In a flash of white ligh—

"WE GET THE PICTURE!" Chikoro screamed to the poor author as the group found themselves in the same room as before, "JEEEZ! WHAT IS WRONG?! WE'RE BEATING IT WITH ONE HIT RIGHT?!"

"I don't get it either..." Orizo confessed, "I don't understand what they're asking us to do."

"Only the most clever can clear this event..." The group turned around and gave a slight gasp as they saw a man decked out in a tight white top that reached his neck with a v-neck opening. He wore tight long white pants and white shoes. White armbands completed his armor, along with a yellow ponytail holder that held his long blonde hair. Everything on his armor was lined lightly with yellow and he had yellow markings on his face. The man, obviously a Heavy Axeman, had a large axe, silver and yellow striped, on his back. He smiled a handsome smile, "I guess I'll go first...watch..." He walked into the room, followed by the trio and they watched him eagerly. The monster once again appeared and charged at the man. The man didn't even take out his weapon. He just waited for the monster to come and then...

Blew on it.

The group fell over as the monster writhed and died on the ground, a treasure chest appearing in front of it. "WE DIDN'T THINK THEY MEANT LITERALLY!" Chikoro told him and he laughed again.

"Sorry!" He bowed, "I must go, just go back out and come back in. You can beat it that way." He ran out of the room, waving to them, "Good luck!"

As he disappeared, the group sighed dejectedly and walked out of the room, only to backtrack back into it. "But hey..." Iam pointed out to her fellow adventurers, "How did that guy know how to beat it?" The trio stopped and thought for a second, dumbfounded, "That was only his first time in the room right? He didn't even know what the instructions were before he came in."

"I...I guess he just is a quick thinker..." Chikoro told them, "We didn't even catch his name..."

"Oh well," Orizo shrugged, "Look! There it is!" The monster once again materialized, and Iam stepped forward. She took a huge breath and blew on the monster. It, like the last one, died instantly and a treasure chest appeared. "I feel stupid..." Iam told them, but got down on the ground and opened the chest anyway. "It's a riddle..." she told them, out to me. It's my turn to rest, and your time to be. Your brother has been here watching over our children all day. Who am I? Rhyme my name for the final clue." Iam shook her head, "Another weird clue." She placed in her pack and waved her hand to the door, "Let's go! We get our cool weapons now!"

"Right!" Chikoro and Orizo said simultaneously and the group sprinted forward to claim their prize.

* * *

"Welcome to the last leg of the Weapon's Race." The trio looked at one another oddly as they saw an NPC standing in front of the door to the final room, "Now, you must use the clues you received to finish the following sentence: To clear this event, your party must have this vital element:..."

"The clues...?" Chikoro asked, "I don't get it..."

"Those scrolls!" Orizo reasoned and took his out, "We need to decipher them."

"Of course!" Iam took hers out and sat down with the others. They laid their scrolls out on the ground and looked at Chikoro's first. "The sound that a cat makes..." Iam wondered.

"Mreow?" Chikoro asked, "No...that can't be right, there's no word that starts with Mreow..."

"What about...mew?" Iam asked, "But that would be an odd word..."

"I've got it!" Orizo told them, and they looked eagerly at him, "It's purr!"

"Yeah!" Chikoro nodded, "That's got to be it!"

"What about the next one though?" Iam asked, pointing to Orizo's clue, "Rhymes with the beginning of the nology that you just fought."

"No?" Orizo asked, "Purrno?"

"Sounds like porno..." Chikoro pointed out to be greeted by a large smack on the head by Iam, "Ow! Sorry..." She giggled, "That can't be right. What did we fight?"

"A Mu Guardian..." Orizo told her, "But what kind of "nology" is that...?"

"Of course!" Iam put her fist in her hand, as if to say that it was so obvious, "Tech!"

"Tech?" Chikoro asked her questioningly, "Oh! I get it! The Mu Guardian is a machine, right? Or looks like it...so it would be tech-nology!"

"What rhymes with tech though...?" Orizo asked and the group thought long and hard for the answer.

"I got nothing..." Chikoro sighed, "Let's move onto the last one. Iam, read it again."

"Kay," Iam nodded and read the clue, "Sister, sister, comeout to me. It's my turn to rest, and your time to be. Your brother has been here watching over our children all day. Who am I? Rhyme my name for the final clue." She ruffled her brow, "What does that mean?"

"I dunno..." Orizo sighed and turned to Chikoro, "You got any ideas Chikoro?"

But Chikoro didn't answer. She just looked long and hard at the clue, and then smiled widely, "I've figured it out!" She nodded and grabbed their hands.

"What is it?" Iam asked her.

"I'll tell him, one sec!"

"But what if you're wrong?" Iam asked her, snatching her hand back, "We may not get another chance!"

"Trust me!" She told her, "Just trust me!"

Iam stared at Chikoro, smiling widely, so confident in her answer, for the longest time. She waited, feeling the roof of her mouth grow dry. She sighed, and then, reluctantly nodded, "I trust you."

"Okay!" She ran over to the NPC, "We have our answer!"

"Please submit answer," the NPC nodded and Chikoro cleared her throat.

"Perfection!" She jumped in the air and the NPC nodded.

"Event cleared." The door behind him opened, "Please proceed to receive special equipment."

"Wow..." Iam smiled admiringly at Chikoro, "How...how did you know "perfection" was the answer?"

"Easy!" Chikoro told them, "I'm the queen of rhyming games! Tech rhymes with fec in perfection doesn't it?"

"Yeah," Orizo nodded, "But what about the last clue?"

"That one was easy!" she told them, "Sister, in the poem means "Sister Moon" and the one watching over his children, us humans is "Brother Sun." Sun rhymes with tion!"

"That's amazing Chikoro!" Iam threw her arms around Chikoro and gave her a big hug, "You figured it out!"

"Yeah..." Chikoro nodded, "I did, didn't I?"

"And..." Orizo smiled at the girls, "Since we cleared the event, I guess that means our party has "perfection." Right?"

"Yep!" Chikoro nodded, "Best friends forever!"

Iam just looked at the ground. She thought of the nasty e-mail she had sent Chikoro, and how she hadn't told her the truth about Moyotu. She remembered what Chikoro had said earlier...

"_We're a party right? We can't have people not being honest with each other can we?"_

"_Just trust me!"_

"_Best friends forever!"_

"Umm...Chikoro?" Iam spoke softly and Chikoro turned around to see what Iam was saying, "Can we talk after we get the weapons?"

"Sure!" She nodded, "Why not? But for now, let's get before they're all taken!" She ran into the room, followed eagerly by Orizo, and then, Iam, sighing lightly and smiling as she ran in.

* * *

"Woah!" Iam's mouth opened in shock as she saw that the room was stocked to the brim full of players of every level, and class. They all were trying to get out, but the exits were blocked!

"Somebody help us!" A female wave master called, "I can't gate out! My console won't turn off either!"

"I can't get out!" Another voice screamed, "It's too crowded!"

"What's going on?!" Chikoro yelled to the group over the roar of the crowd, "Why is everyone in here?"

"We came for the weapons!" A female heavy blade answered to them from the crowd, "But when we got here, there was nothing! And the doors are locked! We're all trapped!"

"Where's that guy who helped us?" Orizo screamed to Iam and Chikoro, "Maybe he knows what's going on!"

"Yeah!" Iam nodded, "Let's find him!" The group tried to wriggle around through the crowds, but it was impossible. The flux of the many people sucked them in, making it almost impossible to turn around! "Guys!" Iam grabbed their hands, "We can't get separated!"

"We'll be stuck here forever if someone doesn't do something!" Chikoro told her.

"Welcome one and all!" The trio looked up, along with the rest of the gargantuan crowd to see none other than the man who had helped them before floating in mid air! "Welcome to your reward."

"What are you talking about?" a voice from the crowd asked, "Are you the one keeping us here?!"

"Well...kinda..." the man bowed to them apologetically, "Sorry! But I can't let you go until I test out my latest Data Bug creation! I'm sure it'll be stronger than the one Circera made!"

"Data Bug?!" Iam asked, "He...he must be...with..." She bit her lip as she looked up at him, smirking at the frightened crowd and she knew that she couldn't deny it anymore. "You must be with Moyotu!" She screamed to the man, "How dare you hurt these innocent players?!"

"Well..." he shrugged, "Moyotu is my leader! She did teach me how to create these Data Bugs."

"Well then where is it?!" Orizo asked, drawing his weapons, "I don't see any Data Bug!"

"Well..." the man giggled and the room became almost five times larger than before! The random players scrambled to the edges where they could breathe and the man continued, "That's kind of the point..."

WHAM!" In a second, Orizo had been smacked to the center of the room, taking major damage!

"Orizo!" Iam rushed to his side.

"Orizo-sama!" Chikoro quickly healed him and ran over to him, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine..." he spat, "But what was that thing?"

"It must be..." Iam grimaced, "An invisible Data Bug..."

"Invisible?!" Chikoro asked, flabbergasted, "Then how can we fight it?"

"You don't..." the man smiled, "That's kind of the point..."

WHAM! A loud force hit Chikoro and she screamed as she collided with a wall, "AHHH!"

"Chikoro, no!" Iam yelled, then turned violently towards the center, "You'll pay for this!"

"How is it invisible?!" Orizo asked, "It seems impossible!"

"I told you!" the man called down to them, "You have to be clever to clear this event! And I am!" he closed his eyes, "I control this Data Bug with my mind. It's my specialty. My concentration allows it to stay invisible."

"Great!" Iam told him, "That helps a great deal!"

"Well then..." Chikoro stood up, bloodied, but alive and looked at him, smiling, "Let's see who's the cleverest..."

The man's eyes flared and an angry expression became plastered on his face, "How dare you?! I am the cleverest of all the Prism Players! No mere regular player can match my wit!"

"Let's see!" Chikoro laughed and raised her wand, "In my opinion, you were pretty stupid to mention that you control that Data Bug's invisibility. Cause now..." She smiled, "I can do this! VAK KRUZ!"

"AHHH!" The man burned as the spell hit him and Iam saw that in a flash, the Data Bug was revealed to be a small white angel covered with green flakes.

"GET IT!" Iam wasted no time in attacking the Data Bug, Orizo at her side. But as soon as they had done about 200 damage, the monster became invisible again.

"Damn you..." the man cursed, "You made me loose my concentration..."

"Well that was kind of the point..." Chikoro smiled and the man raged again.

"HOW DARE YOU MAKE ME LOOK FOOLISH?!" he screamed, "FOR THIS YOU SHALL PAY!" He took out a scroll and laughed, "WIZARD'S BANE!"

"Ow!" Chikoro felt the affect of the spell come over her, "My magic...it's close to useless now!"

"Well that was kind of the point..." the man mocked and cackled, "Nothing can match the wit of Izaile!"

"Izaile?" Chikoro asked dumbfounded.

"Chikoro!" Iam yelled as she was hit once again by the monster, "Leave him to me!" She pulled out a scroll from her bag, "GAN ZOT!" She cast and the scroll disappeared as he was hit!

"AHHH!" he screamed and the monster became visible again! Iam and Orizo once again unleashed an all out assault. "How could you?!" he asked, regaining the monster's invisibility, "How could you use your scrolls right after you had been hit?! Isn't that your wavemaster's job?"

"No!" Iam told him, "Our job is to help our party members out when they're in trouble!" Iam nodded to Chikoro, "Because we're friends...right?"

Chikoro paused, then nodded, "Right!" The Wizard's Bane wore off and Chikoro gave a triumphant grin at Izaile, "EAT THIS, RAI DON!" The thunder made the man writhe with pain as he screamed bloody murder. Iam and Orizo quickly attacked the monster once more, this time, the words "PROTECT BREAK" coming across the screen. "We've done it!" Iam nodded to the two and extended her ring. The others joined her and pointed at the monster. In a huge breath they screamed:

"RED, BLUE, YELLOW DATA DRAIN!" The monster's green flakes disappeared as the lights, combined, hit it head on, washing it clean of its virus.

The group launched an all out attack on the monster until finally it flopped to the ground, destroyed and never to harm innocent players again.

"NO!" Izaile screamed, "My precious Data Bug! It was the epitome of my knowledge!" He grimaced and held out his hand, "You...I'll kill you all now! For destroying my precious Data Bug! DATA DR--"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you..." The trio looked up as they heard a voice come from seemingly no where. But soon, they saw, holding Izaile's wrist forcefully was a young man with black shaggy hair and a black visor that covered his eyes. He wore a black baggy jacket along with a tight black top and matching baggy black pants. Long combat boots and fingerless gloves completed the look of his armor, along with seemingly useless wires and cords strapped around his wrists. In his lap, as he floated in the air, was a laptop, and on his belt was a few wrenches, "I...really wouldn't..."

"Who—who are you?" Izaile's eyes were wide with unmistakable fear as he watched the young man, "You...you can't be...Kalen..."

"Right on the money..." Kalen smiled, "Now...your wit has been defeated...leave now."

"Grr..." Izailed grimaced at Kalen and then at Iam and the rest of the trio, "I'll be back!" he told them, "I won't let myself be defeated this easily!" With that, golden rings formed around him as he gated out of the Dungeon. Kalen smiled, and then lightly fell down to the ground. He gracefully landed and then surveyed all the players around the room. "I'm afraid I'll have to erase your memories..." he told them, "The Prism Players and their secrets should not get out to this many people." He typed on a few keys on his keyboard and soon every player gated out automatically. Only Iam, Orizo and Chikoro were left, staring at the strange man. He surveyed the room, making sure no one was left and then stopped as he looked at the players, "Hey!" he waved, "How's it going?"

"Are you one of them?!" Orizo asked, "A hacker?"

"No and yes," Kalen smiled and the group looked at him, confused. "I'm not one of them but I am a hacker. What else could I be with this character design?"

"We can't let you get away!" Orizo drew his blades, "You're just like the rest of them! You're a cheater!"

"Don't make assumptions little boy..." Kalen typed a few keys on his keyboard, "Speaking of which. Aren't you forgetting something?" He pointed over Iam's shoulder and she turned around to see a core with a "V" encrusted inside it. "It's your reward for Data Draining that creep."

"You know about Data Drain?" Iam asked him eagerly, "How?"

"All in good time...I'll explain later..." Kalen reassured her.

"But I have a question!" Chikoro raised her hand, "Izaile...he...he was about to scream something...it sounded like...Data Drain...does he too have that power?"

"Later, later," he explained, "Too many answers can rack ones brain I'm afraid." She shut his laptop and waved to the group, "But now, I must be on my way. You'll hear from me later." He gave a small wave once more and smiled, "Bye." With that, he gated out of the dungeon, leaving the trio alone.

"I feel the Prism Players influence growing..." Iam bit her lip worriedly, "All these questions...left unanswered..."

"I know..." Chikoro nodded, "But I guess...we'll just have to wait and see right?"

"Right," Iam nodded as well, then turned to Chikoro, "Umm...Chikoro...I wanted to talk to you, remember?"

"Hmmm...oh yeah!" Chikoro smiled, "What about?"

"I'm...I'm sorry for the e-mail I sent you..." Iam blushed, "If...if you want to know the truth about Moyotu then I'll tell you..."

"Oh no need!" Chikoro told her and Iam's eyes lit up. Could it actually be that Chikoro was respecting her feelings? "Orizo-sama already leaked the entire story to me!"

Silence partook the room for a few seconds, only to be broken by Iam's neck violently cracking as she turned to Orizo, "O-ri-zo..."

"Umm...well...she was persistent and um..." Orizo desperately tried to defend himself...

"PREPARE TO BE PUMMELED!"

"AHH, DON'T HURT ME!"

"TOO FRIGGIN LATE!"

"Ha ha ha!"

"Perfection" really wasn't the word...

* * *

FINISHED! I had fun with this chapter. I really think that Kalen will become one of my favorite bishonens (hot guys)...ahhh... It's pathetic, to have a crush on a guy you created...ahhh well...

REMEMBER, R&R!

Until Then,

Ciao for now!


	5. Overcoming

Chapter 5 – Overcoming

A/N's: Hey! My next chapter here, I hope you all like it! I already love the feedback from the other chapters, makes me feel nice!

Here we go!

* * *

"No way!" Iam lauged. She, Chikoro, and Orizo were all sitting on the bridge in Mac Anu on the Delta Server after a long dungeon adventurer. Orizo had just made an announcement and Iam could hardly believe her cybertronic ears, "You're joking!"

"Nope," Orizo shook his head, "It's true."

"Your uncle owns a game store!" Iam asked again and he nodded. "That's WAY too cool!"

"Yep…my uncle owns the place. It's pretty popular among "The World" gamers. You can buy cool headsets, expansion packs, and other awesome stuff there. There's even a "The World" parlor there."

"It sounds like so much fun!" Iam smiled, "Is that why you're so into games Orizo?"

Orizo blushed and then paused. Finally, he nodded, "Yeah…my uncle really got me into it…and my mom."

"How about we all walk to it before school tomorrow?" Chikoro offered to the two, "It'll be fun!"

"Sure," Orizo nodded, "I don't mind. It opens really early anyway. How about we meet at your house Iam?"

"I'm game."

"Great," Orizo smiled and then, paused and looked panicked, "Oh crud! It's already 9:00! I need to do my homework!"

"Why were you goofing around!" Iam reprimanded, "Seriously!"

"Uhh…oops, gotta go, see ya tomorrow!" With that, Orizo logged out, Iam wanting to bend the golden rings he disappeared into.

"Jeez…he really ticks me off sometimes…" Iam sighed and leaned against the bridge with Chikoro, "Well…want to go on a dungeon adventure or something?"

"Hey Iam…" Chikoro asked and Iam raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah?"

"How…do you feel about Orizo-sama?" Iam blushed, or virtually blushed at least. She bit her lip.

"W-we're just play with each other online…that's all…"

"Maybe I should rephrase my wording," Chikoro sighed, "How do you feel about Hiromi-sama?"

Iam paused and looked at the wooden planks of the bridge, her eyes refusing to meet the inquisitive ones of Chikoro. Her eyes, still glued to her bright red boots, blinked a few times and then, she spoke softly. "Umm…actually, I'm pretty tired. I'm not in the mood for a dungeon adventure today. See ya…" And with that, Iam quickly logged out, leaving Chikoro alone on the bridge of Mac Anu.

* * *

"SHIZUMA! Give me back my shoe, I'm going to be late!"

"No way!" Shizuma laughed as he ran through the halls of Mai's house, carrying her loafer shoe with him. Mai threw on her blazer and straightened her bow as she chased her annoying brother through the house. "Have to catch me first!"

"GOT YA!" Mai cheered as she jumped on the little boy, sending him sprawling onto the carpet. "My shoe."

"I won't give it back until you let me do something…" he told her, pouting, hiding the shoe under his chest, making sure she couldn't grab it when he was off guard.

"What?" she asked, annoyed.

"Let me play "The World"."

"No." With that, Mai grabbed the shoe and forced it on her foot.

"Why not!" he asked in a whining tone.

"Because you'll just mess up," she sighed, "You don't know how to play."

"I could learn!" He insisted to her, "C'mon Mai!"

"I'm going to be late to meet Ayumi and Hiromi," Mai sighed, grabbing her school bag and lunch, "See ya little bro! "The World" is a big kid's game!"

Shizuma only frowned and stomped back into the house to have breakfast while Mai ran out the door where her two friends were waiting outside her mailbox. "Hey guys!" She waved to them, running over to join them. "Ready to go?"

"You bet," Hiromi nodded, "Wait till you meet my uncle, he's a hoot, I swear."

"You'll have to introduce your uncle to your future wife!" Ayumi gave Hiromi her usual morning glomp and Mai gave her usual morning fume.

"A-Ayumi!" Mai blushed and pulled Ayumi off. "C'mon! We'll be late!"

* * *

"Hey Pops!" Hiromi gave a call as he opened the glass door, a little bell tinkling as he pushed it open. A few people, playing at computers with headsets on turned around, then immediately went back to their games. "How's it going?"

"Oh, hey Hiromi!" Mai looked up from the players at the computers to see a tubby man with brown hair and a matching beard waving to them. His hair, almost matching Hiromi's in color, had a few gray strands sticking out from it. He was wearing an apron that read, "Start Button", the name of the store. "I see you brought your girlfriend and your mistress along!"

"P-POPS!" Hiromi blushed and so did Mai. Ayumi giggled.

"Yes Mr. Pops, I'm his mistress," Ayumi cooed in Hiromi's ear, "Right Hiromi, darling?"

"N-N-NO YOU'RE NOT!"

Hiromi's uncle chortled and motioned to three chairs near the front desk. The kids sat down, Hiromi still blushing lightly. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Junichi Mimura, Hiromi's uncle."

"I'm Mai Yanagi," Mai introduced herself.

"Ayumi Kanzaki!" Ayumi bowed her head.

"Hmm…it's not every day Hiromi brings in cute girls to my store," he laughed, "And two blondes? What are the odds?"

"P-Pops!" Hiromi reprimanded, "I came to show them the store!"

"Ahh welcome to "Start Button"," he gave a regal bow, "We supply all the latest and greatest games and equipment. Please, look around. Because you're Hiromi's friends, I'll let you have a game at the Parlor free."

"Parlor?" Mai questioned and Hiromi smiled.

"Don't you know anything? A parlor is where they have a certain online game installed and you just have to log in with your character to play," he explained.

"Oh! Sorry I'm so stupid!" she huffed and tried to playfully deck Hiromi.

"SOTA!" A voice came from the back of the store and the three looked inside the open door that led to the employees' place. "WILL YOU STOP FOOLING AROUND!"

"Jeez Fuko, give me a break…" said the other voice, obviously Sota, "I was just having a little fun."

"Oh…those are my latest employees," Junichi laughed, "They always fight, I shouldn't have hired them together."

"That would have saved me a load of grief." From the door came a woman with a matching apron, indigo top and black pants on. She had black hair in a braid and heavy framed glasses. "He is such a pain!"

"And now you're trying to get me fired!" A man came from the door this time. He had scruffy dark brown hair that was kept in a loose ponytail and was very tall. He had a rugged figure, but wore the employee apron anyway. "And I thought we were friends."

"You thought wrong!" the woman growled, "Will you please just leave me alone! I always have to make up for your mistakes!"

"Oh hey guys!" the man waved to the three kids, "How's it going?"

"YOU'RE NOT EVEN LISTENING!"

"Hey…you're the boss's nephew right?" the man asked and Hiromi nodded, "I've got just the thing for such a ladies man like you!" He went behind the desk and rummaged around for a few minutes, until he smiled and pulled out a red velvet box. He opened it to reveal a red ruby bracelet, "Like it?"

"Umm…sorry, I'm not into jewelry," Hiromi tried to smile.

"Not for you dolt!" the man sighed, "For one of your lovely ladies here."

"Why are they selling jewelry at a Game Store?" Mai questioned, a little annoyed by the man.

"It's not ordinary jewelry," the man explained, "If the player wears it, it is digitally programmed onto their "The World" character design. Boyfriends often give these bracelets to their girlfriends over the game."

"Oh wow!" Mai smiled, eyes lit up, "I wanna try it!"

"Step right up," the man jumped over the desk and took Mai's hand as if she were a Princess. She walked over to a computer and sat down. "Here…" he placed the bracelet on her wrist, "A beautiful bracelet for a beautiful lady."

Hiromi fumed slightly, as did the woman with the braid. "Will you stop fooling around for once!" she screamed and the man sweatdropped.

"Jeez…leave it to the She-devil…" He sighed as Mai placed her headset over her head and quickly logged into her character. "Hey…this bracelet matches your color scheme, cool. I like the violet by the way…really sexy – OW!" The man looked up, his head forming a huge bump where an ashtray had hit him, "FUKO! I was just kidding!"

"Huh?" Fuko asked, her hand already holding a radio. "But…I didn't throw it yet."

"Then…" the man looked over and saw Hiromi, breathing heavily, his hand looking as though he had just thrown something. "Ahh…lover boy's jealous. Well, I'd make my move if I were you. She's a beauty and I just know that hundreds of guys are going to be all over her if you don't make your claim."

Hiromi blushed and fiddled with his feet as the man yelled at Fuko for trying to throw something at him. Ayumi fumed and quickly turned to see if they had any yellow bracelets for Hiromi to give her.

* * *

Iam materialized in front of the Chaos Gate portal in Mac Anu and immediately looked at her wrist. She squealed as she saw the red bracelet on her wrist. But she then sweatdropped as a cloud saying "¥5000" appeared. "Eeeks…pricy…"

"What a beautiful bracelet," Iam looked up and gasped as she saw none other than Kalen standing in front of her, smiling away behind his black goggles. "Did your boyfriend give it to you by any chance?"

"Hey!" Iam took out her spear, "What are you up to?"

"Nothing," he shook his head, "I just wanted to invite you somewhere."

"Oh yeah!" Iam spat, "Don't think for a second that I trust you, cause I don't!"

"Why not?" Kalen asked, "I did save you from Izaile."

"How come you know his name!" She asked accusingly.

"Umm…because he was screaming it before…" Mai sweatdropped.

"But that was before you got there!" she told him.

"I have the power to make my character invisible to Game elements," he shrugged, "It's common knowledge for a hacker like myself."

"Why is your character so weird?" she questioned, looking over his wires and keyboard.

"I like it," he shrugged, "It was voted coolest character design in the Net Slums."

"Net…what?"

"Anyway, I want to invite you to an area," he told her, "It's really important."

"How so…?" she questioned, eyebrow raised.

"I'll explain later," he told her and typed over his keyboard, "The area will most likely be on the boards, but I'll send you an e-mail anyway." He smiled and tucked the board under his arm, "Ciao." With that, he logged out.

"I…I wonder what he wants there…" she paused and bit her lip, "Well there's no way that I'm going without Orizo and Chikoro!"

* * *

"So…do you like it?" Sota asked as she took off her headset.

"It's really pretty!" she smiled, "But I don't have the money for it now… I'll have to ask my parents for it for Christmas or something."

"Or you could ask your boyfriend," Sota suggested.

"OH CRAP!" Ayumi screamed and Mai looked at her with worry in her eyes.

"What's wrong!"

"Look! It's already 7:55! We'll never make it on time before the school gates close!" She grabbed her bag, "C'MON!"

"ACK! COMING!" Mai grabbed her bag too, "C'mon Hiromi!"

"Coming…" Hiromi took his bag, but fingered around in his pocket. "Hey mister…" he asked Sota, "How much is that bracelet?"

"¥5000," Sota smiled, "A bargain. You're thinking of getting it for her?"

"J-just wondering," he blushed and ran towards Mai who was waiting at the front of the store.

"What was that about?" she asked him.

"Nothing…let's get."

"Sure," she nodded and Hiromi went through the glass door. She moved to follow him out but then stopped. She paused and turned her head where she thought she saw a glint of light behind some boxes. But, just as quick as the glint had come, it was gone. "What the…?"

"MAI!" Ayumi screamed to her, breaking her out of her fantasies, "We're going to be late! C'mon!"

"Ack!" Mai blushed and ran outside, "Sorry, let's go!"

* * *

"And stay out there!" Unfortunately, Mai, Hiromi, and Ayumi had been late, and had been forced to endure the old "Holding Buckets of water in the hall" punishment.

"Eurrg…Mai this is all your fault!" Ayumi accused her.

"Huh! How's it my fault?"

"You were the one ogling that stupid bracelet!" She said, "If you hadn't been taken in by that salesman then we wouldn't have been late!"

"Oh yeah, and you rummaging through bracelets for Hiromi to give you didn't slow us down at all!" Mai shoved her face into Ayumi's. "Don't you dare pin this on me!"

"Why you!" Ayumi headbutted against Mai, Hiromi becoming suddenly wise and staying out of it.

Mai was ready to face off against the blonde cheerleader, but stopped, as she saw the same glint as before behind Ayumi's head around the corner. "Hey…did you see that?"

"If you mean your stupid face than yes!" Ayumi growled.

"No! That glint behind the corner…"

"How could I have seen it when I was facing the other direction, stupid!"

"STUPID!"

"It's going to be a long day…"

* * *

"I'm telling you Ayumi, I saw this glint!" Mai told her in the locker rooms as they all changed into their gym clothes, "At the game store, AND in the hall! It's really creeping me out!"

"You're hallucinating," Ayumi waved her hand as if to suggest the matter was of no importance, "You probably just saw something shiny."

"I guess…" Mai sighed as she pulled off her shirt, "But it's really odd that" Mai stopped.

"What's odd?" Ayumi asked but Mai didn't answer. She just stopped and then…

With one fleeting motion, Mai's shampoo bottle had been chucked into the trashcan at full speed. "Mai!" Ayumi asked incredulously.

"OW!" A scream of pain echoed through the room, and all the girls looked around towards the trashcan to see who had just spoken.

"Come out." Mai shoved her hand into the trashcan and rummaged around for a tiny bit until she smiled, "Peeping Tom!" She threw her arm up to reveal a boy wearing their school uniform and sporting a hefty pair of circular glasses. He had shoulder length black hair and pale skin. The girls squealed and quickly put their shirts on as the stranger stood on his feet. "Who the heck are you?" Mai asked him.

"S-S-Souchirou Hibiki," the boy stated with racked confidence, "And I am NOT a peeping tom!"

"Then what were you doing hiding in a trashcan in the GIRL'S locker room, Hibiki-san?" Mai questioned, her lip quivering. He didn't answer, but his eyes stared with resolve and Mai saw the shine go off of his glasses. "Hey…" she paused, "You've been following me haven't you?"

"What?" he asked, nose turned upward.

"The glint I always saw was from your glasses, right?" she asked him and he blushed and scowled.

"How dare you insinuate that I, Souchirou Hibiki, would follow someone as lowly as you!" He gave a snobbish pout, "It's horrendous to even think about!"

"Lowly…?" Mai asked him, a bit hot in the face, "Then why did you follow me!"

"Like I told you!" Souchirou snapped, "I was not following you! I was following Ayumi-sama!"

Mai blinked a few times, and tried to put what he had just said together. At the game store, in the hall, and right now…Ayumi HAD always been with her. "So…" she all of a sudden became very dark, "You're not a Peeping Tom but you are a stalker?"

"I've admired Ayumi-sama from afar for many weeks now!" Souchirou began a long and dramatic speech, "It would take me hours, no, days to express my affection for her!"

"Well…express it, OUTSIDE OF THE GIRL'S LOCKER ROOM!" Mai grabbed Souchirou by the color and promptly threw him out to the cheer of many girls. Mai, in a huff, walked back to Ayumi who had just put on her gym shirt. "You know him?"

"Oh…him?" she asked, nodding her head to the door, "Nope."

* * *

"Ayumi-sama!" Mai almost choked on her rice ball as Souchirou fell from the tree the three were eating under that lunch time. It seemed that Souchirou had been following them all day… "I've decided to stop expressing my feelings for you secretly and come right out! I do not fear rejection from you!"

"Okay…you're rejected," Ayumi gave him a sharp boot onto the pavement and Souchirou went flying. But a few minutes passed and he was back, carrying five box lunches.

"Ayumi-sama, I had my five star chefs prepare lunch for you. Four different Japanese courses and some western food as well."

"Oooo yummy!" Ayumi laughed and took one box. She opened it to reveal some Tempura noodles, "It looks delish!"

"Ayumi-sama…actually said a kind word towards me…" Souchirou savored the moment, "The measuring cup of my life is full…"

"That's one small cup," Hiromi commented as Ayumi took some chopsticks and picked up a noodle.

"Say "ahhh"!" she laughed and Souchirou blushed.

"Of course! Ahhh"

"NOT YOU DOLT!" she gave him a sharp hit across the head, "Hiromi-sama!"

"Mi-Mimura…?" Souchirou asked, as though his reality had been shattered to pieces. He was in his own little black and dark world, ignoring Hiromi trying to push Ayumi off and Mai raging as usual. "Ayumi-sama…love Mimura…? IT CAN'T BE!"

"So Hiromi," Mai smiled, "Umm…_someone_…" she stressed "someone", "Invited me to an area. They said it was important. Wanna go?"

"Sure," Hiromi nodded, "We're all level 10! Only 5 more levels until we move up to the next server!"

"What!" Souchirou put back the pieces of his life for a few moments to rejoin the living. "Ayumi-sama plays "The World"!"

"Uhh…yeah…" Mai nodded, "We all do."

Souchirou didn't say anything after that, he just got up and walked way silently. "Thank God he's gone…" Ayumi sighed, "What a pain."

"He really likes you though," Mai told her, "You should be nicer to him."

"But I already have Hiromi-sama!" Ayumi cooed and gave Hiromi a hug around the neck.

"ACK! GET OFF!"

"Guys…" Mai suddenly became serious and the two turned their heads toward her, "The someone that invited me to that area…it was Kalen! You know, the black hacker."

"The what…?" Mai looked around to see a boy looking at her, "Did you say Black Hacker?"

"Uhh…yeah," Mai nodded, "Why do you ask?"

"He's super famous," the boy told them, "He snuck into dozen of networks and I hear he even hacked into the American Pentagon Computer!"

"What for?" Mai asked.

"That's the mystery! No one knows. Some think he's looking for something, some say he just does it to prove that he can. But one thing's for sure," the boy sighed, "He's dangerous, super dangerous."

"Woah…that's heavy," Ayumi bit her lip after the boy had walked away. "Mai! We shouldn't go traipsing off wherever this guy tells us! He's dangerous!"

"Please…" Mai sighed, "Those are probably just rumors."

"Mai, Ayumi's right," Hiromi told her, "He may be leading us into a trap!"

"Because we have the power of the rings," Ayumi rationed, "He probably is going to try and extract our powers! That would give him the power to rewrite data!"

"But those only work on Data Bugs, right?" Mai asked, "What's the point of that?"

"As far as we know," Hiromi told her, "We've never tried it on another normal monster. It might work…"

"But what would it do?" Mai asked, "We don't have any idea. I say we trust him! He did save us from Izaile." Mai didn't know why, but she was curious about what Kalen wanted her to see. It was obviously something important and her curiosity had gotten the better of her. Now, after being as wary of Kalen as the other two, she knew she needed to see what was going on in "The World". "Look, I know that "The Black Hacker" isn't exactly the most inviting name, but hey, he might want to be our friend."

"I'll go, just because you insist on going," Hiromi told her, "And I don't want you to get hurt."

"Ayumi?" Mai asked the girl and then noticed her hands were slightly shaking.

"I…I'm scared," she told Mai, "I'm afraid that I'll go into a coma just like all those other people. Give me some time to think," she said, "I'm not promising anything…" And for the rest of lunch, Ayumi was silent.

* * *

Mai dashed from her car and almost immediately booted up her computer when she got home. As she looked at her desktop, she noticed she had new mail and she warily opened it. It was indeed from Kalen.

* * *

Meet Me Here

Mess:

Hey, meet me at **Delta, Timeless Aging Fort Walls, **today. I'll be waiting. If you have questions, bring 'em.

Kalen

* * *

Mai had too many questions to even count, but she would be sure to bring them. She then tentatively saw that Kalen had left another message…and this one was entitled, "SUPER IMPORTANT, READ NOW!" She warily clicked on it and then read the message.

* * *

SUPER IMPORTANT, READ NOW!

Hey! I just realized…I'm working the late shift at work tonight, I can't meet you! Sorry! Tomorrow, I promise! Meet me on at 4:30!

Kalen

P.S. Sorry! I need a better planning book!

* * *

Mai almost fell over as she read the message. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!" She sighed and picked up the phone. She quickly called Hiromi.

"Hey Hiromi…" she sighed as he picked up the phone.

"Oh…hey Mai, something wrong?"

"I'm connecting to Ayumi too…" she pushed the three way calling button and dialed Ayumi's number.

"He-hello…?" Ayumi asked wearily over the line.

"Hey Ayumi," Mai sighed, "It's me and Hiromi."

"Oh, Mai, Hiromi-sama…" She paused, "About meeting you on tonight…"

"Save your breath Ayumi…" Mai sighed, "I just got a message from Kalen. The dork has to work late at his job."

"His job…?" Hiromi asked, disbelieving, "You'd think that an expert hacker would be loaded…but he's working the late shift at a job?"

"I seriously think we've got the wrong guy here," Mai sighed, "There's no evidence that he's "The Black Hacker" and I seriously doubt that he is. He's probably a harmless computer geek."

"Well, that's too bad!" Ayumi laughed, "I would have gone, but now that plans are canceled"

"We're going on tomorrow at 4:30," Mai told them and she could almost hear Ayumi gulping over the phone, "Ayumi, there's seriously nothing to be worried about, this guy is completely harmless."

"I agree with Mai," said Hiromi, "There's absolutely zero way a screw up like him is "The Black Hacker"."

"All right…" Ayumi sighed, "See you guys tomorrow at 4:30…"

"Hey…tomorrow's Saturday, how about we do some leveling before that?" Mai suggested, "C'mon, it'll be fun."

Ayumi paused, "Sure…whatever… Look, I gotta hang up, I've got laundry to do."

"Okay…see ya, let's say at noon?"

"Whatever," Ayumi responded again, "Bye."

Mai and Hiromi heard the "click!" of Ayumi's phone and Mai could only give a dejected sigh to her partner on the other line, "She's still scared out of her wits."

"Hey, I'd be too," Hiromi sighed, "But I can't let you go alone." Mai paused, and blushed at his kind words. "That…that would be even scarier than me being in danger."

"H-Hiromi…" Mai spoke softly…

"See you tomorrow then?" he asked and she gave a small "yep!", coming out of her blush fritz, "Bye then."

Mai hung up the phone and threw herself on her bed, Kalen's e-mail still open on her computer. She looked over at it and then sighed, "Just some computer geek…just some computer geek…" She bit her lip and blushed again, "I wonder…what Hiromi meant by that." She stopped and shook her head, "Why's my heart beating so fast! This is stupid." She shut off her computer and shut off the light, "I'm going to sleep."

* * *

Mai logged in about 11:45 the next day to find no new e-mail from "The Black HACK" as Mai had amusingly named him. "Computer Otaku" and "Geek in Black" were also some of her favorites that she had giggled at all night. She clicked on "The World" and the game loaded.

She gulped as she saw there were new board messages, but she knew she had to click on them. She saw there were two. The first one read, "Where are you Men?"

* * *

Sub: Where are you Men?

Author: Yutaro

Mess:

Hey, Men! You told me to meet you at the root town and you never came! And worse you won't answer my e-mails! It's really PISSING ME OFF! XP So you'd better answer to this message, or else!

* * *

There was a reply, and Mai clicked on it, knowing what was coming.

* * *

Sub: Re: Where are you Men?  
Author: Wikiwen

Mess:

Men is my friend that went comatose after that monster beat him! I leveled up a lot and went back to fight it, but the area looked totally normal, I don't get it.

* * *

Mai figured that after they had beaten the Data Bug in that area, everything had gone back to normal. It was odd…she thought that since the Prism Players were spreading this infection, the infection would stay on the area, growing through the network, only halted for a short time. How was it that after they beat the Data Bugs, the areas returned to normal?

Mai decided this was a question for Kalen and lodged it into the back of her brain and she cycled down through the messages to one that read "Comatose: Help Me Out!"

* * *

Sub: Comatose: Help Me Out!

Author: Uteni

Mess:

OMIGOD, HELLLP! I was with my best friend from school and we were playing right? But then, the area turned all weird and I could see the 0s and 1s and it was like crude data! The graphics got messed up, and I thought that it was just a glitch, so we kept going. But then…there was this kid in white and green and then BAM! This huge monster came out and beat my friend! She went into a coma after that! Last time a message like this was posted, the area went back to normal. Whoever fixed it, HELP!

The area was **Delta, Timeless Aging Fort Walls! **Help!

* * *

Mai closed the message and bit her lip. Kalen was right, the area was on the board. It seemed that more and more people were falling victim to the Prism Players. This kid…in white and green…who could he be?

Mai closed the boards and quickly logged in. There wasn't a second to loose.

* * *

"Hey!" Iam smiled as she saw Orizo and Chikoro waiting for her at the Chaos Gate, "You guys ready for some serious adventuring!"

"You bet!" Orizo nodded, obviously trying to keep spirits up, "Ready Chikoro?"

"Umm…yeah…" she nodded and then went up to the Chaos Gate, "Let's go! Right?" she smiled to her two friends, as if seeking some support and they returned happy grins.

"Right!" Iam ran through the portal, "I already picked out the area, c'mon!" The other two smiled after her and threw themselves into the Chaos Gate, ready to face whatever came their way.

But little did they see, in the corner of the alley of Mac Anu…a glint came from something shining…

* * *

It was about 4:15 when the group got back from leveling, Chikoro's blood pumping excitedly, "Woah! A level for each of us! That makes level 11!"

"Only one more until we reach the next server!" Iam laughed, "And we all got new weapons too!" Iam brandished a new spear with a decorative silver top and red ribbon called a "Rouge Spear". Orizo didn't take out his new "Levi Blades" two large tri-blades colored blue, but he blushed at them anyway. And Chikoro wasn't shy as she waved her yellow pointed staff with a floating ball on the top called a "Ramuh Staff". "Too cool!"

"Can't wait to use them in action, right?" Chikoro asked.

"So you're coming to meet Kalen?" Orizo asked her and she stopped.

"Umm…yeah…sure…" she nodded, sweating, "I mean…I'm sure it's fine…right?"

"RIGHT YOU ARE CHIKORO-SAMA!" A bellowing scream of encouragement came from the other end of the Chaos Gate, and Iam, Orizo, and Chikoro all looked up to see who had just screamed. "How can you be wrong!"

It was a man, and a tall one at that. Iam guessed he was at least 6ft, and his large chest and arms only added to his appearance of high stature. He had brown hair in a high ponytail that went to his back and matching brown eyes. He had a confident smile on his handsome face. His armor looked like a Samurai in full armor, only the breastplate, arm guards and leg guards were colored forest green while the clothing underneath was a much brighter green. His pants, in a hakama style, matched the bright green of his shirt, and he wore traditional zori sandals with tabi socks. His tekkos (arm/wrist guards), green lined with silver, covered his hand gloves. In his hand was a katana (Japanese sword) with a silver and green handle. The blade shone of silver that reflected in the virtual sun.

"Uhh…what class is he?" Iam asked, "I didn't know there was a samurai class…"

"There isn't," Orizo said, "He's a Heavy Blade. Some heavy blades just specialize in samurai type equipment."

"Chikoro-sama, what a cute character design you have!" The man walked over to Chikoro, smiling widely, "Are you impressed with mine!" He struck a ridiculous pose.

"Who-who are you…?" Chikoro asked, "I don't _think_ I know you…"

"WHAT!" the man asked, amazed that Chikoro didn't remember him, even though Iam was sure they had never seen him before. "I recognized you immediately because of your ring!"

"You…you…" Iam pointed, almost not believing herself, "Souchirou…?"

"Yes Iam-san!" Souchirou's character glanced her way, "It is I! Souchirou Hibiki! But here, I like to be called…" He puffed out his chest, as if expecting a fanfare while he did his silly introduction, "Zaiten, the Brilliant and Brave Samurai!"

"Zaiten…?" Orizo asked, "I didn't know you played this game."

"You didn't mention it when we were talking about "The World" at lunch…" Iam pointed out.

"Heh heh," Zaiten chuckled, "That is because I had not started playing this game until yesterday afternoon!"

The entire group sweatdropped, "What level are you?" Iam asked.

"11! Why!"

"EGADS! HOW'D YOU GET THAT HIGH IN ONE DAY!"

"Heh heh, fool!" he laughed, "I spent all night leveling this character so I could party with Chikoro-sama!"

"Who's the fool…?" Orizo asked, facefaulting.

"Well…Zaiten-san," Iam sighed, "We're kind of in a hurry to meet someone, so if you don't mind, we'll be taking our leave."

"Wherever Chikoro-sama goes, I shall follow!" Zaiten announced, grabbing Chikoro's arm to be greeted by a large head smack by Chikoro.

"Hands off! There is zero way I'm going with you!"

"Zaiten…this is a private party, you can't come." Tapping his foot on the ground, Orizo tried to explain.

"LIAR!" Zaiten accused, "YOU JUST WANT TO HAVE CHIKORO-SAMA ALL ALONE SO YOU CAN DO UNMENTIONABLE THINGS TO HER!"

"PERVERT!" Chikoro whacked him across the head once more, leaving a large cyber bump.

"Look, Zaiten, we're leaving!" Iam grabbed her two friends, only to have Zaiten latch onto Chikoro's legs.

"YOU SHALL NOT TELL THE GREAT ZAITEN WHERE HE CAN OR CANNOT GO!"

"IF YOU DON'T GET OFFA ME IN ONE SECOND I'M GONNA TELL YOU WHERE YOU'LL YOU BE – IN THE HOSPITAL!"

"CAN WE PLEASE JUST GO!"

"NOOO, I MUST GO WITH CHIKORO-SAMA!"

"Wow…look at those people over there…causing a big scene…"

"I know…"

"LET ME GO!"

"HE'S WAITING FOR US!"

"I MUST GO WITH MY LOVE!"

"THAT'S IT!" Chikoro grabbed Zaiten and threw him off of her, "FINE! You can go, but I'm not!" She started to walk away, "I'm logging out, he's too creepy!"

"Chikoro, wait!" Iam ran after her, "Please! Zaiten doesn't know the key words; he can't follow us!"

"He'll find a way to follow us," Chikoro said, "I'm not going!"

"You're just making excuses!" Chikoro stopped over the bridge as Iam snapped with the harsh accusation, "You're just scared, so you don't want to go!"

"SO WHAT IF I AM!" Chikoro spun around, tears in her eyes. "SO WHAT IF I'M SCARED!"

"We're all scared!" Iam screamed, "But we have to go anyway! Orizo told me that going is scary, but some things…like letting me go by myself…are scarier! You've got to come!"

"I'M NOT STRONG LIKE YOU AND ORIZO-SAMA!" Chikoro cried, "I'm too scared!"

"You're just cowardly!" Iam snarled, "You just want to save your own hide! WELL THEN FORGET YOU!"

"Wait – Iam!" Chikoro called after Iam, who was now stomping towards the Chaos Gate, but she stopped, her face red, tears flowing down her face, "FINE! LIKE I CARE!" She quickly logged out in a rage.

"Chikoro's gone," Iam said sharply, "Let's go."

"But we can't go without her," Orizo insisted, "C'mon Iam…"

"Yes we can!" Iam snapped, "I really don't care about her…"

"I'll go!" Zaiten piped up, and both Iam and Orizo turned their heads to see him getting up from where Chikoro had thrown him. "There's probably a rare item at this area, so I'll get it and give it to Chikoro-sama!"

"But wa" Orizo started, but Iam cut him off.

"Sure, whatever," she shrugged and input the keywords. "Three heads are better than two."

"Iam!" Orizo whispered, "But what about Kalen!"

"He probably doesn't know anything anyway," Iam sighed, "Let's just get this over with, I'm not in a good mood."

They exchanged member addresses with Zaiten and he joined their party. With that, they warped to the area where the "Black Hacker" she meant, the "Black HACK" would be waiting for them.

* * *

"My goodness!" Zaiten exclaimed as they landed in the area, which was covered in ice, and, as usual, completely bugged up. "This is quite odd!"

"Hey, you made it," they heard Kalen's voice talking to them from seemingly nowhere and Iam looked around hastily to find him. "Meet me at B3, kay? I'll be waiting."

"Great," Iam huffed, "He's sending us on errands now, oh well…let's go."

"Who was that!" Zaiten asked, bewildered, "We must have stumbled on an event! And an event means RARE ITEMS FOR CHIKORO-SAMA!"

"Yeah…sure…whatever," Iam chewed the inside of her mouth, "Let's just go."

"Argh…no…this one isn't rare either," Zaiten pouted as he pulled out another "The Death" scroll from the treasure chest of the monster they had just defeated, "I need to find a rare item! And worse of all, this dungeon, although odd in appearance, doesn't seem to be odd in anything else. Especially treasure."

"Almost there," Iam sighed, as if nervous, "We're on B2, Kalen should be on the next level."

"And look," Orizo pointed, "This is the door that leads down to B3."

"Now's the time to prove this guy doesn't know squat," Iam smiled, "Let's head down!"

"W-wait for me!" Zaiten called, "There are still treasure boxes here! They might have rare items for Chikoro-sama in them!"

"OH STUFF IT!" Iam screamed as she whacked him on the head with her spear, "Get a move on already!"

"C-coming…" Zaiten weakly said, rubbing the bump on his head and following the other two down to the last level.

* * *

"We made it!" Iam called as they entered a large open room in the dungeon.

"So you have…" Iam and Orizo's ears perked up as they heard a voice that wasn't Kalen's.

"Another player?" Zaiten asked, "I KNEW IT! YOU STOLE ALL THE RARE ITEMS THAT WERE MEANT FOR CHIKORO-SAMA! SHOW YOURSELF SO I MAY DEFEAT YOU KNAVE!"

"You're silly mister!" Came the voice again, a young one that laughed. "Real stupid too!"

"ARRRGH!"

"Zaiten wait…" Iam cautioned, "Who's there!"

"Hmm…but wait…" the voice said again, "One…two…where's the third ring holder! Don't tell me she didn't come, but you brought this bozo along instead?"

"She couldn't come," Iam brandished her spear, "But we'll do fine without her…show yourself."

"I feel real cheated," the voice sighed, "Izaile got to fight all three of you, and I get stuck with only two! No fair!"

"Show yourself!" Orizo commanded, unsheathing his blades.

"Fine, fine, fine, jeez, big kids are so grumpy!" Out of the shadows lept a white and green figure so fast, that Iam couldn't even see it as it kicked her straight across the face, making her back into the wall at an alarmingly high speed.

"Iam!" Orizo screamed and rushed to her side. He looked back and saw that the figure had landed and was smiling a big toothy grin.

"That's what she gets for being mean!" the figure laughed and stuck out his tongue. It was a boy. A small boy with a white long sleeved shirt and matching white vest. He had shorts that were white and brown scruffy hair that was a chestnut brown. He had a headband that was white with green triangular markings, and the same markings lined the rest of his clothing, even his white boots. On his belt were two gauntlet gloves that had spikes on the knuckles.

"Wh-what class is he?" asked Iam, getting up from the wall, "That's an odd weapon."

"He's a fighter," Orizo explained, "It's an advanced class that uses your hands and gauntlets to fight instead of usual weapons. That's why his kick must have affected you so much…even with his small size."

"Hey!" the boy pouted, "I'm not small! I'm in Middle School!"

"Hey kid," Orizo spat, "Are you with Moyotu?"

"Yep!" he laughed, "I'm with Moyotu! She and I are bestest friends! I'm the Fourth Prism Player!"

"You, a kid, are a Prism Player?" Iam asked incredulously.

"And my name ain't kid!" the boy pouted, "It's Koga! K-O-G-A!"

"All right…Koga…what do you want with us?" Iam asked, standing up.

"I'm here to fight you and destroy you," Koga smiled a happy grin, "I've worked super hard to make a really good Data Bug! My best one yet! I'm just a kid, and all the others think I can't handle it, I'll show them!"

"A-A-A Data Bug!" Iam asked, "Where…?"

"Ahh don't worry," Koga waved his hand, "It's not invisible! I'm not like that cheater Izaile! He's so full of himself! I'll bring it out soon."

"Why did you attack those two players!" asked Orizo.

"So that one would put up a message on the boards and attract you guys here," Koga shrugged, "I thought it was obvious."

"You…!" In a flash, Orizo had his hand on Koga's shirt and was holding him up in the hiar, "Didn't your mom ever teach you that putting people in comas is wrong!"

"Moyotu says that we have to!" Koga spat back, "She's always saying that it's a necessity! And I'd believe her over you!" With that, Koga bit Orizo's hand and Orizo dropped him.

"Koga, Moyotu is wrong!" Iam spoke, "Hurting people is wrong no matter what the circumstances!"

"SHUT UP!" In a sudden outburst, Koga screamed and Iam could notice tears in his eyes, "Moyotu isn't wrong! Moyotu's never wrong! I was alone, friendless, and hated, but she never gave up on me! She helped me! You think you know everything when you really know so little! I'M TIRED OF YOUR CRAP!" Koga raised his hand and started to make a decorative pattern in the air. Green 0's and 1's came from his fingers and he started to make a strange circle on the ground. Intricate patterns, laced in green started to form around Koga, enveloping him in a strange warm light. "Come out…come out my creation…come and destroy these fools! Prism Emerald Wo Kai Non Shi, DATA CREATE!" He took a vile out of his bag and added a drop of brownish red liquid that seemed to spread over the insignia.

Out of the circle came a terrifying demon like creature with hair sticking out in sharp and obtuse angles. Its red leering eyes and muscle bound form towered over the three heroes. It was covered in the green flakes as usual and had strange numbers for HP.

"W-WHAT IS THAT!" Zaiten screamed, backing into the wall.

"A Data Bug!" Iam growled, "Just attack it Zaiten, Orizo, keep us healed while Zaiten and I do the main damage!"

"WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!" Zaiten screamed, "It has strange HP!"

"It's infinite…"

"INFINITE?"

"But we can still beat it!" Iam told him, "Just trust me!"

"B-but without Chikoro" Orizo started.

"We've beaten Data Bugs without Chikoro, remember!" she asked him and he slowly nodded, "You only need two rings! ATTACK!"

Afraid, Zaiten charged with Iam and sliced the monster repeatedly. Orizo followed, healing with Health Drinks whenever possible to heal them. All they could do was try an attack while Koga watched, floating in the air.

"You'll die before you can beat it!" he screamed harshly.

"Iam!" Orizo called, "I've only got three Health Drinks left! Do you have any!"

"No!" Iam cried.

"Nor I!" Zaiten said.

"But that means…we're going to die!" Iam told them.

"NOT NECESSARILY!" Orizo screamed and threw his dagger into the monster's side. Over the monster, with the shield that broke, came the words "PROTECT BREAK". "NOW!"

"Right!" Iam screamed and extended her ring. Orizo followed her and they yelled:

"RED AND BLUE DATA DRAIN!"

Nothing…

"…It…it failed…" Iam paused, "What…happened?"

"STUPID!" They heard Koga taunt, "This data bug is way stronger than Moyotu's or Circeca's! You need at least three rings to defeat it!"

"B-but that means…" Iam's eyes were wide, "That we can't win!"

"Not necessarily…" Orizo said once more and pointed, his finger quivering towards the door of the room, where none other than the black clad Prisma stood.

"Hello…" she spoke.

"Prisma!" Iam screamed, "We don't have enough power to beat this Data Bug!"

"I know…" she nodded and then turned to Zaiten, "You are…Zaiten…am I right?"

"Why-why yes…" he nodded, "How are you aware of my name?"

"Come here…" she motioned to him, and he warily tiptoed over to the girl. She took his hand and touched his left middle finger, "This is for you…the power of the Green Data Drain…" When the light of her finger faded, a green ring was on his finger. "Use it wisely…" And with that, she disappeared.

"Za-Zaiten…?" Iam asked, disbelieving, "No way…"

"There's no time!" Orizo told her, "Zaiten, come here!"

"Why should I!" he asked, "And why won't this tacky ring come off!"

"Just extend your finger, point it at the monster and scream, "Red, Blue, Green Data Drain!"" Iam told him.

"If you do it, Chikoro will give you a kiss!" Orizo exclaimed and Zaiten blushed furiously.

"HERE I COME!" He pointed his finger at the monster, and Iam and Orizo pointed next to him. The three yelled together:

"RED, BLUE, GREEN DATA DRAIN!"

Nothing…

"Haha!" Koga laughed, "It seems you need four rings to beat it! How funny!"

"F-four rings…?" Iam asked, "Then we really are doomed…"

"What can we do!" Orizo wondered out loud, "There's nothing we can do!"

"Just keep fighting!" Iam told them, "Maybe we'll weaken it!"

The three launched an all out attack again, but the monster only laid more punishing blows. Orizo used his last Health Drink and Iam grimaced, _What…the hell are we going to do!_

"Iam!" Orizo cried, "We need a spell to heal ourselves with!"

"I don't have any spell!" Iam cried, tears forming in her eyes, "Orizo, I don't wanna die!"

"Neither do I…" And in a fleeting motion, Iam found herself gathered in Orizo's arms. She paused and blinked, then hugged him too, crying on his shoulder. "Mai…"

"H-Hiromi…" she choked as Zaiten kept the monster at bay. She felt Orizo reaching into his pocket and taking out something. The next thing she knew, she felt something clasp on her wrist. She looked down…and saw the red bracelet from the store. "H-Hiromi…"

"Mai…" he said, "I…I may never get to say this if I don't say it now. I…I think…I think I l"

"EAT THIS!" Iam and Orizo spun around as they saw a bright yellow staff rise in the air, "RAI DON!" It was Chikoro and she had just cast a spell.

"Chikoro!" Iam cried and ran to her friend from Orizo's arms and enveloped her in a hug. "You came!"

"I couldn't leave you behind!" she cried, hugging Iam, "I'm sorry…can you ever forgive me?"

"If you start healing our butts, sure!" Iam laughed.

"But-but I can't heal you unless I'm in your party!" she said, "And there's no more room, right?"

"That's all right!" Iam told her, "I'll disband from the party and fight by myself!"

"But that means I won't be able to heal you!" Chikoro told her, "You'll be in danger!"

"I know…" Iam gave a weak smile, "It's scary…but losing you guys…is even scarier." Chikoro stopped, smiled, and nodded. "I'm disbanding now!"

Orizo quickly invited Chikoro to the party, and she began with a "La Repth!" Zaiten spun around and laughed.

"Chikoro-sama, you came to save me!" He extended his hand and Chikoro gasped.

"That loser is a ring holder!" she asked in disbelief, "I don't believe it…"

"Quick!" Orizo said, "I just made it go into "Protect Break" again! Let's finish it off!"

"Right!" they both nodded and extended their rings, "Ready!"

"Ready!" Orizo nodded.

"Ready!" Zaiten called.

They all extended their rings together, took a deep breath and screamed as one:

"RED, BLUE, YELLOW, GREEN DATA DRAIN!" Out of their rings shot the light and it hit the monster full force, the lights combining to rid the being of its Data Flakes.

"NOW GO!" they yelled and with a full out assault, the monster was easily dispatched of.

"DAMN!" Koga cursed as his monster faded away, "You beat me! I can't believe it!" He growled, "I'll be back, believe you me!" And with that, he faded away.

"Great! He got away!" Iam cursed.

"Umm…Chikoro-sama…" Zaiten twiddled his fingers, "I'll humbly accept that kiss now."

"K-kiss…?" Chikoro asked, "What kiss!"

"Well…I mean Orizo and Iam here were going at it before you came and I just thought that we should get together too, so you wouldn't feel left out." Both Orizo and Iam blushed furiously and Chikoro turned to them, eyes red with rage.

"What-is-the-meaning-of-that!" She asked, ready to kill anyone who gave the wrong answer.

"NOTHING!" Iam insisted, "HE'S LYING!"

"Then what about this "kiss" I owe him…?"

"Oh…uh…that…well…"

"Hey…nice job there," Iam looked up to see none other than Kalen above them, clapping his hands politely, "Defeating that Data Bug was no easy task."

"Why didn't you help us!" Iam asked, "We could've died!"

"Oh please, I saw Miss Chikoro coming, I knew you'd be fine." He made a graceful land and faced them all, "So…we're here. Thanks for getting rid of the bug, now…any questions for me?"

"Question 1," Iam started, "Who exactly are the Prism Players?"

"A ring of ten hackers that have the power to create Data Bugs," Kalen explained, "You saw what Koga was doing. It looks like a magical ceremony, but it's really just clever programming, nothing more. I don't know as much about them as I'd like to…like why they're reeking havoc over the game."

"Question 2," Orizo interrupted, "Who's Prisma?"

"Now that…" Kalen smiled, "Is a mystery that I even I don't know about. All I know is that she is a wandering Goddess of "The World" who for some reason, has chosen you four to defend it."

"Question 3," Chikoro asked, gulping, "Are you…"The Black Hacker"?" Orizo and Iam looked at her and then at Kalen who smiled.

"So, you've heard of me." All three of the teen's eyes widened at his answer, "Yep…that's me."

"Why did you sneak into the Pentagon and all those networks!" Iam asked him, and he paused, his face becoming suddenly stern.

"I was looking for something," he told them, "But I didn't find it."

"But what were yo"

"Next Question…?" he asked and they knew not to bring up the subject again.

"Why is the infection receding after we beat these bugs?" Iam asked, "It doesn't make much sense."

"That's because the pigs at CC Corp haven't started Protecting the Areas…" Kalen said bitterly, "Once they start, and they will start soon…the infection will spread."

"What do you mean?" Orizo asked.

"The Prism Players use the technology that blocks players from going into areas to infect them," Kalen explained, "But soon…once their power grows, they won't need that anymore."

"How can we get into those areas and try and stop the infection!" Iam asked.

"You can't," Kalen said, "You can only slow it down by defeating the Data Bugs in those areas. To get into the areas…you use these…" He pulled out a core with a "T" encrusted in it and handed it to Chikoro, "I believe this belongs to you. Using the right combination of cores will help you to hack through the gates."

"And one more question," Zaiten finally spoke up, "Kind sir, what's up with these odd rings?" He lifted his up and his eyebrow raised. "That's odd…I could have sworn that wasn't there before."

"What wasn't?" Orizo asked and looked at Zaiten's ring. It had a decorated circle encrusted in the green crystal and held the character for "Break" in it. "Hmm…" He looked at his own, and found that he too had a encrusted different circle in his blue ring, with the character for "Power" on it.

Iam and Chikoro examined their rings to find different encrusted circles with the characters for "Dragon" and "Circle" in them respectively. "Your rings changed," Kalen explained, "And they'll change again, once I'd say, 6 or 7 hackers have been found. It seems that Iam has the power to keep the "Ryu Books" (Ryu means Dragon in Japanese), Orizo here can Data Drain regular enemies for cores and other items thus the "Power" to control his own ring, Chikoro is the holder of the Data Cores thus the circle, and it seems that Mr. Zaiten here," he smiled, "Is the one who can hack the gates." (Note: Thanks to the reviewer who gave me this idea. It's cool…I was pondering it before, but you gave me good ideas, thanks!)

"Wait…there are more of us?" asked Iam.

"Yes…" Kalen nodded, "There should be ten in total. You just have to find them." He smiled and waved, "Well, I'm afraid that I have business to attend to, goodbye!" And with that, he gated out.

"I guess that we should gate out too," Chikoro suggested, "I'm tired…"

"Yes…I'm using a Sprite Ocarina," Zaiten sighed, disbanding from the party, "I shall see you all tomorrow then! Goodbye Chikoro-sama!" He gated out quickly and Chikoro smiled at her friends.

"Thanks Iam…you really taught me a lot today…see you tomorrow!" She too left, leaving Iam and Orizo alone.

"Umm…Orizo…?" Iam spoke and he made a small noise to acknowledge he was listening, "Thanks for the bracelet…I love it."

"It-it's just an early Christmas present…that's all," he told her waving his hand, "Well…see you later then…"

"Wait!" she called to Orizo and he stopped, only to be greeted by a kiss on the cheek from Iam. He blushed the color of Iam's armor. "That's your present! Don't worry, I'll get you something else too, I'm not that cheap."

"Actually..." he paused and gulped, "That's fine..." Iam paused, blushing slightly, "See you later."

"Yeah…see you," Iam smiled as he too gated out. She smiled at everything around her, nodded, and used a Sprite Ocarina to gate herself out of the dungeon.

* * *

"Hooth!" Mai sighed as she laid down on her bed, completely exhausted from the day, "I can't believe everything that's happened." She noticed that her ring had changed in real life too, and that she still had on that wonderful bracelet. She smiled, and gave it a light kiss... "I wonder what he wanted to tell me back there..."

* * *

HOLY COW THAT WAS THE LONGEST CHAPTER I'VE EVER WRITTEN!

MY GOD THAT WAS LONG, 27 PAGES!

I hope you all enjoy it! Especially Souchirou! A cookie to whoever can guess who I based the Ayumi and Souchirou relationship on!

As usual, R&R!

Until then,

Ciao for now!


	6. Prism Trilogy Story!

Author's Notes: Well, here we are with the sixth chapter of "Log On!" I hope you'll all enjoy it!

This chapter is divided into three short stories!

First: Zaiten the Rare Hunter!

Second: The Strange Player: Ryo-oki! (SailorStar165)

Third: Secret Sweets

* * *

Zaiten the Rare Hunter!

"Noooo…" Zaiten moaned as he opened another chest, containing a paralyze scroll, "This one isn't rare either! Five dungeons and no super rare items for Chikoro-sama! This is too sad!"

Zaiten had been at the game all day that Saturday, still looking for a rare item for his beloved "Chikoro-sama". Unfortunately, he hadn't been successful even after five dungeons and many monsters killed. "Dumb Orizo! He can data drain the monsters for rare items! The lucky dog!" He cursed and continued on.

"Eat – this – fowl – fiend!" Zaiten gave the mushroom monster another slash with his katana, then took out a scroll. "Juk Zot!" The monster, an earth type, fell victim to the elemental scroll and dropped to its knees. "Good, now that that's over…"

Suddenly, a "Level Up!" flashed across the screen. "Huh?" he wondered out loud. "Of course, I've been fighting all day, my level should be about 12 now…"

"Twelve, you say?" Zaiten looked around as a strange small voice spoke, but heard nothing. "Hmm…a level twelve? You could help me out with something!"

"Show yourself! Zaiten the great samurai has no time to dally!"

"Fine! Grouch!" And, out of the shadows came a young female wave master with brown hair, a white and blue cap and suit, and baggy white and blue pants. She carried a cross staff and was smiling widely. "Hey!"

"Oh, just another player," Zaiten grunted. "I'm sorry young lady, but I have no time for you. I'm in the search of a rare item."

"Hey! What a coinkidink! So am I!" The girl smiled and extended her hand. "Maybe we can be of use to each other! My name's Mirielle!"

"Zaiten. Miss Mirielle, what exactly are you proposing?"

"Well…I'm in search of a super rare item you see," she smiled. "An e-mail sent to all players announced it! It's called 20-20 Dungeon Game!"

"20-20 Dungeon Game?" Zaiten asked, his eyebrow raised. "Explain."

"You need to give some of your levels away to another player so that both of your levels equal 20! That way, the two of you get into the dungeon and get a chance to win the prize!"

"I see…and…this prize is a rare item?" he asked, now interested.

"Yep!" She nodded. "I'm level 28! (Note: It never mentions in the Manga how leveled up Mirielle gets. I suppose you could argue that she's the same level as Mistral, which is like 99, but in this, her levels have started over when she renamed her character and now she's 28.) If I give you 8 of my levels at the event, then we can both go!"

"Amazing! You have a deal Miss Mirielle!" Zaiten smiled and shook the small wave master's hand.

* * *

"So, we're here," Zaiten said as the two arrived in a grassy area.

"Yep! **Delta,** **Disturbed Rolling Twin Hills! **This is the place for the event all right!" Mirielle lunged forward, "C'mon! It's first come first serve, we don't want to be left out!"

"So," Zaiten spoke as he ran along with Mirielle. "What kind of rare prizes are they giving out?"

"Loads! Weapons, enhancements, scrolls!" Mirielle smiled widely out of anticipation. "It's all random! I live for the thrill of chance!"

"As long as the item is good enough for Chikoro-sama…" Zaiten smiled, his eyes sparkling.

"So, you're getting it for your girlfriend, huh?" Mirielle giggled. "How funny, I know the type!"

"What about you?" Zaiten asked, curious. "What are you here for?"

"Oh look, we're here!" Mirielle cheered as they reached the dungeon where an NPC was standing, waiting for them to speak to him. Mirielle noticed another pair heading in. "Oh no! We're behind! C'mon, let's go talk to him!"

"Welcome to 20-20 Dungeon game," the NPC spoke. "Please input how many levels you are giving or receiving from your party member."

"Eight, giving!" Mirielle smiled.

"Eight, receiving," Zaiten said and a small beep went in Zaiten's headphone.

"You may proceed. Please head to B-5."

"Awesome!" Mirielle smiled and ran down into the dungeon. Zaiten realized he was now level 20, as was Mirielle. "Remember, we're going to have to work together to beat this event!"

"R-right!" Zaiten nodded and headed down into the dungeon after Mirielle.

* * *

Luckily, the monsters inside the dungeon were easy enough that Zaiten could beat them with Mirielle's magic backing him up. They had made it through many floors, without much trouble.

"Almost there! I can smell the treasure!" Mirielle grinned wide.

"I suppose I can too," Zaiten said. "Come now, we only have one more floor to go!"

"You bet! There's no way I'm letting anyone else get my rare item!" Mirielle ran down the steps, but Zaiten called after her.

"Mirielle!" he called and she turned around, curious. "I wanted to ask you, why are you after the rare item?"

She smiled, "I thought you'd never ask! You see," she smiled and lightly twirled, as if putting on a show, "I'm a rare hunter."

"A…rare hunter?"

"Yep!" She nodded. "Rare hunters go around and look for super rare items to collect! Call it my hobby!"

"Y-you just collect them?" Zaiten asked. "What purpose does that serve?"

"Well…" she smiled. "It's different for everyone you know! Some people collect them to brag about, but I," she grinned. "I collect them just to have them! It's the thrill of the hunt! Rare items are what I live for in this game!"

"I…I see…" Zaiten looked at her. "How strange. C'mon, let's get that item now."

"You bet, no doubt about it!" Mirielle smiled and sprinted down the steps.

"Yay, yay, yay, yay, yay!" Mirielle cheered as she threw herself upon one of two treasure boxes that lay in the last room of the dungeon. "YAAAYY! Treasure, rare items!"

"Finally!" Zaiten smiled and went over to the treasure box that Mirielle wasn't currently glomping. "Now, let's see what we've got here"

"WAIT!" Mirielle commanded, making Zaiten stop dead in his tracks. "We did this together, so let's open them at the same time!"

"If you insist," Zaiten grumbled.

"All right! 1, 2, 3! Open!" Mirielle threw open her chest as Zaiten unlocked his as well. "Oh! Yay! A Zu Whang Nai Gauntlet! These are so rare!" She hugged the gauntlet. "Oh…I love you!"

"Wh…what's this?" Zaiten asked, pulling out a strange golden statue.

"A Golden Grunty! Lucky!" Mirielle's eyes sparkled with jealousy. "I'm green with envy!"

"Really! A super rare item?" Zaiten smiled widely. "Finally! An item worthy of Chikoro-sama's heart!"

"Yay, yay, yay!" Mirielle cheered again. "Hey Zaiten, let's be friends, you're really cool!"

"I agree Miss Mirielle, perhaps we can do this again sometime," Zaiten nodded.

"Yay! Another rare hunter to hang out with! We'll be partners in crime!" They both exchanged member addresses pleasantly, and Mirielle's name came up in Zaiten's log. "Wasn't it fun to hunt down the rare items?"

"I…I suppose," Zaiten nodded. "It was fun, wasn't it?"

"And you know what's even better?"

"What?"

"They just keep making more!" Mirielle squealed. "I'll never get them all! The chase will go on forever!"

"But-but then you'll never collect all the rare items!" Zaiten told her. "Doesn't that make you sad?"

"Are you joking! I love it!" She laughed, "The thrill of the hunt – the chase! This is what a rare hunter lives for!"

Zaiten stopped as he saw Mirielle still hugging her gauntlet tightly. It was just a bunch of pixels, just pieces of data, nothing more. But somehow, Mirielle valued it more than anything. And then, Zaiten realized. Mirielle didn't love the item.

She loved the fact that she had been able to obtain it.

"Miss Mirielle…" Zaiten spoke softly and Mirielle turned to him.

"Huh?"

"I think…" he smiled. "I think that I shall become a rare hunter myself! That way I can always enjoy the hunt!"

"Good for you!" Mirielle laughed. "Now, let's get back!"

"Right, my friends should be waiting for me now," Zaiten smiled as the two used a Sprite Ocarina to get themselves out of the dungeon.

* * *

"Zaiten!" As Zaiten appeared at the Chaos Gate of Mac Anu with Mirielle, he saw Iam, Orizo, and Chikoro waiting for him impatiently. It was Iam that had spoken. "You're late! What have you been doing?"

"Oh, nothing," he smiled. "Just having an adventure with my friend Mirielle."

"Mirielle?" Chikoro asked and eyed the wave master. "Hmm…that name sounds familiar."

"Woah, woah, woah!" Mirielle's eyes became wide and she ran over to the group. "Those rings you've got! Where'd you get them? They must be SUPER rare!"

"Uhh…these?" Iam asked, taken aback. "Oh, nowhere! I mean…umm…it's just junk jewelry, that's all!"

"No way! I can smell the rareness!" Mirielle cooed. "Look at the awesome symbols carved in 'em! Wait till I tell Shugo and Rena! Ouka will want to know too…" she smiled and turned to Zaiten. "Well, I'll be going now! My friends are waiting for me! See you!" With that, she headed to the Chaos Gate and disappeared.

"What a weird girl…" Orizo commented. "Anyway, what were you doing Zaiten? You promised us we'd level up an hour ago! We're already all to level 12!"

"Heh! Me too," Zaiten smiled. "I was out retrieving this for you Chikoro-sama!" He whipped out the Golden Grunty and held it in Chikoro's face. "For you my love!"

"What an ugly item!" Chikoro's nose wiggled. "Get it away from me!"

"B-but it's super rare!" Zaiten told her. "Don't you want it?"

"I don't care how rare it is, it's UGLY!" She grabbed the Grunty and thrust it into Zaiten's pack. "There! You keep it!"

"Enough of this, let's go level!" Iam commanded and she, Orizo, and Chikoro ran over to the Chaos Gate. Zaiten stayed behind and looked at the Grunty in his pack. He smiled lightly.

"I suppose this shall be my first Rare Item…" he smiled at it fondly. "Now, let's find some more! Here comes Zaiten the Rare Hunter!"

"Zaiten! Get over here!" Orizo called.

"O-oh! Coming!" Zaiten scampered up to the Chaos Gate and warped away with his friends.

A few minutes later, none other than Mirielle showed up once more, this time dragging a twin blade boy with blue hair and a red outfit. Behind them was a girl with pink hair, tan skin, and a brown and pink armor set. "Awww…they must have left!" She pouted. "But I swear, those rings must have been super rare!"

"What were you gonna do?" The boy asked. "Force them off of their fingers?"

"Don't be mean Onii-chan!" the girl commanded. "C'mon Mirielle, Ouka's waiting for us with Hotaru."

"Coming Rena…" the boy mumbled as he and Mirielle walked back to the Chaos Gate and quickly warped away.

* * *

The End of "Zaiten the Rare Hunter!" Will Mirielle be back? Will Shugo and Rena come again? What about Kite, Balmung, and BlackRose! Oh well, enough questions: Onto the next short story!

* * *

The Mysterious Player: Ryo-oki!

Note: This chapter is dedicated to SailorStar165 who was kind enough to put me in her New World Legend story before it got strangely deleted. As retribution for her good deed, here's a chapter dedicated to her character.

"This is too cool!" Ayumi squealed as she, Mai, Hiromi, and Souichirou all were eating lunch that afternoon. Ayumi had been telling the group about the latest "The World" rumor she had heard; obviously, it was a huge deal. "I'm telling you! This is big!"

"Ayumi, what are you trying to say?" Mai asked, chewing on some noodles. "You're not making sense."

"I've heard it from the boards!" Ayumi started. "It seems that there's a strange character named Ryo-oki whose character class changes randomly! Everyone's trying to find her!"

"Please," Hiromi scoffed. "That's obviously just a rumor. Unless she's a hacker, no one can change his or her character class."

"ARE YOU SAYING AYUMI-SAMA IS LYING?" Souchirou accused loudly, prepared to defend Ayumi's honor. "Don't worry Ayumi-sama! I believe you!"

"I don't care who believes me," Ayumi stuck out her tongue. "I'm going to find this player! Tonight!"

"Tonight?" Mai asked. "Ayumi, you'd better watch out, she may be dangerous. What if she's another Prism Player?"

"I doubt it…" Ayumi smiled. "And it sounds so totally awesome, I'm willing to take the risk!"

"I won't let you risk it alone Ayumi-sama!" Souchirou exclaimed, trying to glomp Ayumi, only to have her foot come in contact with his face.

"Neither will I," Mai nodded. "Let's all go together. Where do we start looking?"

"The latest update was that she was at an area called **"Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground" **in the **Delta** server!" Ayumi explained. "Let's check it out!"

"If you insist," Hiromi shrugged. "But it's probably just a rumor."

"Let's meet on tonight at 5:30," Mai told the group. "We can do two and two parties."

"I'm with Hiromi-sama!" Ayumi squealed, glomping Hiromi.

"ACK!"

"AYUMI!" Mai fumed. "This isn't the time! You'll go with me, and Hiromi and Souchirou will go together."

"I guess…" Ayumi pouted. "Better then being stuck with Souichidork."

"Oh Ayumi-sama…your words sting like a thousand knives…" Souchirou cried waterfall tears.

"Enough fooling around!" Mai commanded. "Tonight we search for Ryo-oki!"

* * *

Mai had checked the boards, and Ayumi was right. The latest rumor was that Ryo-oki was at **Delta, Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground**. So, she had logged on that night onto the Delta Server, ready to find this mysterious player. Chikoro, Orizo, and Zaiten were already there when Iam arrived.

"Ready to go?" Chikoro asked, obviously excited.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Iam shrugged. "Are we all ready?"

"Ready!" they all nodded and Chikoro invited Iam to her party. Iam guessed that Orizo and Zaiten were already in one and she nodded to them. "Let's head to **Delta, Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground!"

* * *

**

Soon, they arrived at the area, and their eyes widened as they saw a long bridge that led up to a stony church like structure. "What the…?" Orizo started.

"No area looks like this," Iam bit her lip. "There's obviously something strange here."

"Quick! Let's go in! She might be there!" Chikoro grabbed their arms and started sprinting towards the building.

"Chikoro wait! This might be dangerous!" Orizo tried to tell her. "What if she's a prism player?"

"I told you, she probably isn't!" Chikoro insisted. "And after all, we thought Kalen was dangerous, and he turned out to be just fine!" She pulled them up to the entrance. "Well, here we are! Let's dive on in!"

"Huh? Who's there?" A voice from inside the church called. "Crap, they found me again, time to log out!"

"Wait – are you Ryo-oki!" Chikoro ran inside and the group gasped. Inside was a girl withlong blonde hair and a pure white dress, holding a blade master sword. "Huh?"

"Uhh…yeah, that's me," Ryo-oki nodded. "Sorry, I was kind of waiting for my friends. I'll leave if you want."

"Are you joking?" Chikoro laughed. "We were waiting for you!" She ran up to Ryo-oki and smiled. "I'm Chikoro, that's Iam, Orizo-sama, and Zaiten. We heard the rumors and just had to check you out!"

"Yeah, I guess…" Ryo-oki smiled as the other three came forward. "Well, I'm Ryo-oki, but…I guess you already knew that."

"You bet we did!" Chikoro laughed. "Is it true you can change your job class?"

"Kind of, but I don't control it," Ryo-oki laughed. "Kind of silly, huh?"

"It's so awesome to meet a legendary player like yourself!" Chikoro squealed. "These guys were afraid you were a hacker or something!"

"A hacker? Me?" Ryo-oki quirked an eyebrow. "Please!"

Iam blushed, "We-well, we had every right to! I mean, how many people can change their character class?"

"I guess you've got a point," she laughed, rubbing the back of her head. "But don't worry, I'm not a hacker."

"So…" Orizo spoke up. "This place is really weird…what with the church and stuff…and that…" he looked up and the group's eyes widened as they saw a giant statue of a girl almost identical to Prisma, only with long white hair and a white dress. "Huh…? Who's…who's that?"

"She looks like Prisma," Iam commented.

"Yes, I too see the resemblance," Zaiten nodded.

"Huh? Prisma, who's that?" Ryo-oki asked. "Well, this statue is…" she paused, as if choosing her words carefully, wondering whether to reveal something or not."I don't know. Just a random girl I guess. I just like this area!"

"Something about her…" Iam walked forward and looked at the statue. "Is so…familiar…" Before she could stop herself, her hand was outstretched and she touched the statue lightly.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Orizo screamed as the room started to shake violently, as if an earthquake was occurring beneath their feet. "What's going on!"

"I don't know!" Ryo-oki screamed over the noise. "We've got to get out of here! The floor's giving way!"

"Guys!" Iam told them and held out her hand. "Our rings are glowing!" They all looked down and noticed the same thing. The rings were all glowing on their fingers. And when Iam looked at Ryo-oki, she saw the golden bracelet the decorated her wrist glowing as well. "Ryo-oki, what's that bracelet!"

"N-nothing!" she told her. "No time to explain, let's get out of here!"

"It's too late!" Zaiten yelled as the floor cracked around him and he fell through. "ARRGGH!"

"ZAITEN!" Orizo screamed as he too fell.

"ORIZO, ZAITEN! AAAAHHH!" Chikoro fell through the floor as well.

"GUYS, OH NO!" Iam screamed and jumped down through the floor.

"Something's up…" Ryo-oki reasoned. "GUYS, WAIT FOR ME!" With that, she too jumped through the floor.

* * *

When Iam opened her eyes, she looked up and saw the same ceiling as the Church that she had been in before. She looked around and saw everyone, including Ryo-oki, getting up and rubbing their sore heads. "Where…where are we?"

"It looks like the area we were just in…" Chikoro looked around. "But that's impossible, we fell through the floor."

"Not everything's the same…" Orizo said, his eyes wide. With a shaky finger, he pointed to where the white girl's statue was.

The white girl was still there, only she was now kneeling, and her hand was a bracelet. Prisma, the black short haired girl, was also there, only she was standing on the right side of the white girl, holding rings. The two had become one statue, everything else about the room had stayed the same.

"So that's Prisma…" Ryo-oki reasoned.

"Ryo-oki," Iam wondered out loud. "I've never seen that bracelet before, what is it exactly? Why is the white girl holding it?"

Ryo-oki looked at them, long and hard, and sighed. "I don't know if I should be telling you this, but something tells me you also have a special connection to "The World". I possess the Twilight Bracelet," she showed them the golden bracelet. "It allows me to Data Drain things called Data Bugs."

"All by yourself?" Chikoro asked and Ryo-oki gave her a strange look.

"What do you mean, all by yourself?" she asked. "Does this have something to do with your rings and Prisma?"

"It's only fair that we tell you as much as you've told us," Iam nodded. "These rings allow us to Data Drain Data Bugs as well. Tell me, have you been fighting those created by the Prism Players?"

"Prism Players?" Ryo-oki asked.

"I'll take that as a no," Iam sighed and shook her head.

"I've already beaten an evil threat with the help of my friends," Ryo-oki told them. "But I haven't seen many Data Bugs around lately. These board messages are getting to me though, that's why I've become more alert. This place is where I fought my final battle last time," she told them. "But it seems that it's evolved."

"Anyway," Orizo continued, "there are still many things we don't understand, especially about Prisma. But still, who's the white girl holding the bracelet?"

"That's…Aura," Ryo-oki explained. "Something tells me that she and your Prisma are related in some way or another, yet have their own plans for this World."

"It seems that everyone's stories are weaving together…" Chikoro said softly. "Yet so many questions are left unanswered."

"Oh well, let's get out of here," Orizo sighed. "My brain hurts from all this wondering."

"I agree, this place is strange beyond reason," Zaiten sighed with Orizo.

"Right," Ryo-oki smiled, "Maybe I'll see you guys again some time?"

"You bet!" Iam nodded.

BOOM! A huge tremor once again shook the room and the group was thrown to its feet. "What was that!" Chikoro asked.

"Another collapse!" Iam asked.

"No! This is different!" Ryo-oki said. "It's like something of enormous size is walking towards us!"

And she was right. In a split second, everyone realized that, coming towards them, was a giant, green scaled, skull monster with a black cloak. "A data bug!" Iam realized.

"C'mon!" Chikoro stood up. "Let's take it!"

"Right!" Ryo-oki nodded, and her sword changed into an axe. "It seems I've got some heavy fighting power to go with! Let's fight!"

"HYAH!" Iam, Orizo, Ryo-oki, and Zaiten rushed into battle with the giant monster, while Chikoro stood in the back, throwing Lightning spells and curing her allies.

"It's hard!" Orizo called. "Who made this!"

"I do not think anyone did!" Zaiten told them. "There are no Prism Players around to speak of!"

"Something tells me this is a Vagrant Data Bug left over!" Ryo-oki reasoned. "Something about the change in energy of this area must have drawn it here!" She gave it another slash with her axe.

"RAI DON!" Chikoro yelled, and the monster crippled under the attack. PROTECT BREAK flashed and the group smiled.

"Ready guys!" Iam called. "Let's go!"

"Right!" they nodded and got together. Their rings outstretched, they called:

"RED, BLUE, YELLOW, GREEN DATA DRAIN!" As the light shot forward, it bended back away from the monster! "What the?" Iam yelled as the light zoomed past them and went straight into Prisma's statue! It glowed with their colors, shining brilliantly. "Huh?" Iam asked. "That makes no sense!"

"Something tells me BOTH statues need to be activated!" Ryo-oki called to them. "You guys have done your job, now it's my turn!" She smirked at the monster, out held her bracelet and yelled, "DATA DRAIN!"

The white light once again whished into Aura's statue, and it glowed a brilliant white. The two statues glowed, and soon, the colors combined together and shot back the energy into each of the user's ring or bracelet. "Now what?" Iam asked as she looked at the swirling energy in her red ring. "What are we supposed to do?"

"I don't get how…" Ryo-oki whispered. "But I know what to do! The words are coming to me."

"Me too," Chikoro nodded. "I feel like I know what I have to say."

"As do I," Zaiten nodded.

"And me," Orizo nodded as well.

"If you guys have the same idea as I do," Iam smiled, "Then let's get this party started! Everyone!" The four of them quickly got together once again and pointed their rings. Ryo-oki got in the middle and outstretched her bracelet. "Ryo-oki, you first!"

"Right!" she nodded, took a deep breath, and bellowed, "AURA'S DATA DRAIN!"

"PRISMA'S DATA DRAIN!" The four of them screamed and both of the lights came searing out of the rings and bracelet and began to intertwine with one another. The light, radiant and bright enough to blind someone, slammed head first into the monster, completely destroying it.

"Woah…" Orizo sighed as he saw the light disperse. "That Data Drain was so powerful it destroyed the monster."

"We did it!" Ryo-oki laughed, giving Iam a hug. "We really did it!"

"I know!" Iam laughed with Ryo-oki, embracing her back.

"It seems that the two statues increased our powers so much that we were able to blow away even that strong Data Bug," Zaiten said.

"Too bad, it's probably gone now…" Chikoro frowned.

"Oh well," Ryo-oki shrugged. "When we see each other again, maybe we'll get to perform our Twin Data Drain once more!"

"I look forward to it Ryo-chan!" Iam smiled warmly. "C'mon guys, let's go, it's almost time for dinner."

"Oh man! Me too, my mom is calling me," Ryo-oki grumbled.

"Huh! You're a kid?" Chikoro asked. "I thought you'd be some mature older woman!"

"Nahh, I'm still a school girl! I might be even younger then you!" she laughed. "Well, see you later!" With that, she logged out.

"H-huh! Hey! We didn't get her member address!" Chikoro said, realizing her mistake. "What if we can't find her again?"

"Oh don't worry," Iam smiled as she started to walk out of the Church. "We'll find her." She smiled to herself as the group began to follow her. "After all, our destinies are bound to connect one day or another. Just look at what happened today."

"I guess," Orizo shrugged. "Maybe there is something to all this destiny junk…"

"I know there is," Iam smiled once more and stopped. The group started to go ahead of her while she looked back at the statues of the two girls. Orizo stopped and turned around.

"Iam! We're going!"

"Sorry!" she yelled, "Coming!" She jogged to catch up with him, and the two of them walked out onto the bridge where they promptly gated out.

"Destiny is a strange thing…isn't it sister?"

The End

* * *

Notes: Oh yeah! I loved writing that! It was so fun! Will Ryo-chan be back? Might be, might not be, depends. Don't forget, check out SailorStar165 on my Favorite Author's List, she writes cute fics!

Want to know more about Ryo-oki? Check out HackLegend of the Twilight Angel! Cute story, don't forget to review!

As for SailorStar, I hope you enjoyed it, it sure was my pleasure.

Now, onto the final story, "Secret Sweets!"

* * *

Secret Sweets!

"Valentine's Day…" Mai groaned as she rolled out of bed one February 13th morning. It was Sunday, and she had already decided that she would do lots of playing on "The World" that day. She was already level 14, only one more to go before she reached 15 and the Theta Server. But one thing had plagued her mind.

Valentine's Day.

On Valentine's Day, it was customary for a girl to present chocolate to guys, sometimes as a friendly gift, or sometimes as something more. But Mai had never bothered to give anyone chocolate, she had never had any friends before this year. But every year on February 13th, she could count on her mother to do one thing –

"Honey! Get up, time to make chocolate!" Mai's mother slammed open her door, making Mai jolt.

"MOM! It's 8:00 in the morning, on a Sunday! Let me sleep a bit first…"

"But honey, we've got to make chocolate, it's a tradition!" her mother insisted. Mai tried to argue that the tradition was that Mai would stand in front of a stove burning chocolate, but her mother had already pulled her out of bed. "I've already got the chocolate! Let's get baking!"

"I don't want to…" Mai grumbled into her pillow, of which she was still holding to her face.

"Aww honey, don't you want to make chocolate for your friends, Horomi and Moiuchirou?"

"Hiromi and Souchirou, and no! They'll just laugh at me!"

"Oh honey, don't be silly, let's get baking!"

* * *

"Moommm….can we stop now?" Mai asked as she burned her third bag of chocolate chips. "You know that I'm hopeless at cooking."

"Oh honey, don't say that," her mother insisted, but even she looked slightly frustrated at the failures. "Let's try one more time!"

"No way!" Mai snapped. "I stink at cooking, big whoop!" She untied her apron and threw it on a chair. "I'm going to go play now!"

"Mai!"

But Mai just slammed her door and locked it. She threw herself in front of the computer and put on her headset. "At least there's no cooking in this game…"

But as Mai turned on her computer, she realized she had new e-mail. She quickly clicked it and saw the message was from CC Corp.

* * *

Subject: Valentine's Day Special Event!

Dear Valued Customers,

Today, CC Corp will be hosting a one day contest in the spirit of Valentine's Day. A cooking contest for female players will be available in Root Town Mac Anu. Our Game master judges will be testing concoctions made with the provided ingredients.

We will be accepting applications for the event via e-mail and will accept five players. Please e-mail us back with the enclosed application form.

* * *

"Why should I care?" Mai snorted and was about to close the e-mail when she saw a word that caught her eye.

* * *

The prize awarded for this event is a rare item called "Perfect Chocolate" that can be traded and eaten. It's the perfect Valentine's Day gift! Runner-up prizes will also be awarded.

We will be announcing the participants on the boards at 12:00 P.M. Please get your applications in before the deadline.

Sincerely,

CC Corp

* * *

"Perfect chocolate, huh?" Mai smiled. "Now this is getting interesting." She quickly looked at the application.

Name:

Member Address:

Character Class:

Level:

Why You Would Like to Participate:

"Easy enough!" she smiled and quickly filled out the information in a "Reply" e-mail.

Name: Iam

Member Address: 57434432

Character Class: Long Arm

Level: 14

Why You Would Like to Participate: Because I'm horrible at real cooking and I'd like to show "The World" that I actually have a prayer at making good food.

She quickly sent the e-mail in before she realized something. "The-there's no way I can win!" She sweatdropped. "I'm horrible at cooking!"

But luckily, Mai didn't have to wait long before it was 12:00 P.M. and the board messaged with the subject "Cooking Contest Contestants" was up. Already, seven replies were up. She quickly clicked on it:

* * *

Subject: Cooking Contest Contestants

Thank you to all who applied for our cooking contest to be held today at 1:00 P.M. Over fifty applications were sent, and we have picked five lucky contestants. They are now listed:

Yuyuri

DemonicDragoness

Wanara

Iam

BlackRose

* * *

Mai blinked. She blinked again. And again. "OH YEAH!" she screamed and swiveled around in her chair. "I'm in! I did it! Go me!" She looked at the replies:

* * *

Subject: WTF!

Sender: Minako-chan

WTF! I'm the best cook in the world! Why didn't I make it in! This is DUMB!

* * *

Subject: Re: WTF!

Sender: BlackRose

Oh suck it up! So what if you lost! Grow up!

* * *

Subject: Disappointed

Sender: Oponia

Ahhh…I really wanted that Perfect Chocolate, it looked so good to eat…

* * *

Subject: Re: Disappointed

Sender: Mirielle

YOU'RE DISAPPOINTED! WHAT ABOUT ME! That chocolate must have been SUPER rare! Grrrr, this sucks! XP! I'm going to kill whoever wins! (Except if it's you BR!)

* * *

Subject: EUURRGG!

Sender: Chikoro

IAM! YOU HUSSY! YOU'RE GOING TO GIVE IT TO ORIZO-SAMA, AREN'T YOU! WELL YOU'RE A HORRIBLE COOK, SO YOU'LL NEVER WIN ANYWAY!

* * *

Subject: Hey Ladies!

Sender: Nuke Usagimaru

I don't know who this "Orizo-sama" is, but he can't possibly be better then me! So whoever wins, I'll allow you to give me the chocolate!

* * *

Subject: Re: Hey Ladies!

Sender: DemonicDragoness

PLEASE! As if! Maybe I'll give it to you, _after_ I've poisoned it!

* * *

Mai laughed at the funny replies, but decided not to leave one herself. She noticed that it was almost 12:45. She quickly logged into "The World"

* * *

As she arrived, she looked around at all the people standing the middle of the bridge at Mac Anu. On the bridge was a long wooden table with five small stove like objects, ingredients, utensils, and other items. Iam gulped. This wasn't going to be easy.

She walked over, and everyone turned their heads. "Hey! Are you Iam?" A few people asked and she nodded. "Oh wow, good luck! I hope you win! You're cute!"

She thanked them all and pushed her way through the crowd to see that four of the places behind the table were already taken. The farthest left one was taken by a girl with a bright smile wearing pastel green baggy pants and a large green hat. She had light blonde platinum colored hair.

The one next to her was much taller and had black long hair that faded to violet. She had spiky black armor on and held a black blade master sword.

Next to her was a short girl with werewolf ears and a red tank top and tight shorts. Her tail and hair was colored brownish red and she had long canines.

And finally, next to the short one was another girl with tan skin, pink hair and thorn tattoos all over her body. On her back was a giant heavy blade sword and her armor was made up of a skimpy breastplate and armored skirt.

Iam took the final place next to the pink haired girl and waited for the NPC in green to begin the contest. Already, many people were in the crowd and it was growing.

"Hey! Iam!" Iam looked up to see Orizo, Zaiten, and Chikoro forcing their way through the crowd to the front. Orizo smiled at her. "Good luck! Kick butt!"

"Heh, you bet," she smiled.

"Don't you dare win…" Chikoro snarled and Iam sweatdropped.

"Good luck Iam-san, I hope you win that chocolate so that Chikoro-sama can give it to me," Zaiten smiled at his comment, only to be greeted with a hard punch to the face.

"And now!" The NPC began, and the crowd cheered. "We have our five lucky lady contestants here, ready to cook up a storm for our judges! Our first judge, Balmung of the Azure Sky!"

Balmung gated in and a thousand girls in the crowd screamed. BlackRose rolled her eyes and Iam eyed the man with wings. He seemed rather distant and mysterious. "Welcome," he smiled. "I'm glad that we administrators can provide you with another amazing event here on "The World"."

"WE LOVE YOU BALMUNG!" the girls screamed again, and the boys scowled at the attention the blademaster was getting.

"Our second judge is Reki, another administrator here at "The World"!" The NPC introduced and Reki came logging in after Balmung.

"This is entirely your fault…" Reki whispered. "Why do I have to do this?"

"It's for "The World" Reki, lighten up," Balmung continued to smile at the crowd. "Come, let's get some free food." He took Reki's wrist and led him up to the Judge's stand where they both stand down.

"Now, let's introduce our contestants!" The NPC announced once more and pointed to the green clad girl. "First, we have Yuyuri, a level 56 Wave Master!" Yuyuri smiled as the crowd cheered. "Next is DemonicDragoness, a level 79 Blade Master!" Many people cheered for the obviously well known player. "Now we have Wanara, a level 24 Werewolf!" Many people cheered for the cute player, who waved lightly. "Next is BlackRose a Level 35B Heavy Blade!" (In this story, once you hit 99, you have the choice to start over as a Level1B, showing you've already completed the job. With this, you get access to the special servers for B players only.) The crowd cheered loudly and BlackRose blushed. "Finally, we have Iam, a level 14 Long Arm!" People in the crowd cheered and Iam blushed.

"The rules are simple," Balmung spoke. "Just use the ingredients provided to make a dish of your choice. The best two dishes will go onto the final round."

"Ready…" Reki said, half heartedly, "Begin!"

A bell ran and Iam looked at the ingredients in front of her. Veggies, sweets, fruits, meats, more things then she could name. "I…I could make stir-fry…but…I always burn that… Or sushi…but that always comes apart when I make it. What about a fruit salad? I always cut myself when chopping up the fruit."

"Damn!" Iam looked over and saw BlackRose cursing as she cut herself with a knife. "Man…I knew this was a bad idea, there's no way I can cook as well as these other girls."

Iam smiled. "I know the feeling, I can't cook for beans."

"But I really want to win this contest," BlackRose sighed. "What can I do?"

Iam bit her lip and then smiled. "One sec, I think I've got something here." She rifled through her pack and smiled as she found what she was looking for. "Look, it's a Sweet Potion." She pulled out a thin vial with pink liquid inside.

"Sweet Potion? Oh! That's that item that acts as a resurrect, right?" BlackRose said, more of a statement then a question. "What are you going to do with it?"

"Simple," Iam smiled and poured a little bit of the potion in a bowl. "This will sweeten whatever I make. I'm making pancakes!" She quickly grabbed the pancake batter and blueberries and poured them in. After mixing it with mater she stirred it around and around. BlackRose looked at her and warily took the potion.

"C-can I have some?" she asked.

"Sure, go ahead!"

"Thanks, I owe you one! Let's see here…cookies seem safe, I can make those at least." BlackRose took out some flour and butter, but not before pouring in a bit of the potion. "Good luck to both of us!"

"Right! Good luck!" Iam smiled.

* * *

"Yummy," Balmung dabbed his mouth with a napkin as he finished his bite of yakitori that Wanara had presented. He had made Reki eat the rest of the dishes, and Reki was already bloated from all the food. "8 out of 10."

"That sets the score to Yuyuri: 7, DemonicDragoness: 7.5, and Wanra: 8!" The NPC announced and the crowd cheered. "Next up is BlackRose who made…"

"Ginger Cookies," she announced and handed them to Balmung.

"No special treatment just because we're friends," Balmung told her as he took a bite of the cookies and pushed the rest of the tray to Reki, who groaned. But after he took a bite, his eyes widened and he grabbed the tray back. Reki laughed from relief as Balmung started shoving the cookies down his throat. "These are delicious! 10 out of 10!"

"A ten for BlackRose!" the NPC announced and the crowd cheered as BlackRose blushed. "Finally, Iam is up with her…"

"Blueberry Pancakes with my secret ingredient!" Iam announced and handed the stack of pancakes to Balmung. Balmung took a bite and Reki sat up.

"Hey…can I have a taste Balmung, sir? I really like pancakes actually" But Balmung, after one bite quickly devoured the entire thing, leaving Reki speechless. "Y-you ate every last pancake…"

"Delicious as well! Another 10!" Balmung announced.

"A tie between BlackRose and Iam! We have our finalists!" The NPC announced and the crowd cheered loudly, especially Orizo. Iam smiled at BlackRose who smiled back.

"Now!" Balmung stood up dramatically. "We shall have the final round! Each of you must make…" he paused for dramatic affect. "Chocolate!"

"Crap!" Iam gave a muffled curse. "I'm horrible at making chocolate…but…" she looked at the vile of sweet potion. "With this, I won't need any real skill." She looked at it and gasped. There was only enough for one person! "Uhh…BlackRose?"

"Contestants, get cooking!" The NPC rung the bell once again and BlackRose started over to her station

"BlackRose!" Iam whispered to her.

"What?" she asked, slightly annoyed. "What do you want?"

"Look!" She pointed to the sweet potion and BlackRose's eyes widened.

"There's only enough for one person," she bit her lip. "Uh oh…this isn't good."

"Well, it is mine, so I think I should have it," Iam smiled and popped the cork.

"No way! That's not fair, you said I could use it!" BlackRose snatched it, the crowd looked slightly weirded out by the display.

"No I didn't! Not for this round, it's mine!" Iam snatched it back, only to have BlackRose grab it again. They were in a struggle for it. "Give it!"

"No way!"

"It's mine!"

"It's mine!"

"MINE!"

"MINE!"

With a final struggle, they both reared back and the vile slipped from their hands and went flying backwards into the river. They watched it float away, their eyes wide. "Umm…is there a problem?" Balmung asked.

"Oh, none at all!" Iam laughed nervously. "Let's get cooking!"

"Jeez, this is all your fault," BlackRose whispered menacingly.

"My fault! Look who's talking…" Iam heckled back.

"If you hadn't been so persistent, then they wouldn't have figured out we were cheating!"

"Who says they're going to?"

"Once they taste how bad our food is, they're bound to find out!"

"Then make it good!" Iam gave a final word on the subject as she poured in chocolate chips. "Fourth time's the charm."

* * *

"Well…" Balmung said, sweatdropping as he looked at the two deformed chocolates in front of him. "They look…scrumptious…" He glanced once more at them and turned to Reki. "Here Reki," he gave him the two chocolates, "Happy Valentine's Day."

"That's creepy and mean!" Reki snapped. "I don't want to eat them!"

"You're my subordinate, I order you to eat them!"

"Here!" Reki threw BlackRose's chocolate into Balmung's open mouth and Balmung immediately turned green from the taste. Still, he made himself swallow the brown gunky mass.

"How…dare…you…" Balmung whispered hoarsely, then coughed. "Umm…we will announce the scores after Reki eats Iam's chocolate."

"Huh?" Reki asked, but it was too late, Balmung had stuffed the chocolate into his mouth. Reki drooled from the bitter and horrible taste, but someone let it slide down his throat.

"Now, we will conduct our scores," Balmung said. "Reki, write down the score on your card."

"All right, all right, but it's not going to be pretty."

Iam looked on with BlackRose and lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry BlackRose…I should have let you use the potion, now they're going to get both of us in trouble."

"It's okay…" she admitted. "It was yours anyway…you should've used it…"

"We have come to a decision!" Balmung announced. "And we shall now show the scores. For Iam…"

Reki held up his card and Iam fell over. "2.5."

Balmung sighed. "And for BlackRose we have the following score. Whoever scores higher will win the Perfect Chocolate, since they themselves definitely can't make it." Balmung raised his card and the crowd gasped. "2.75. The winner of the Cooking Contest is BlackRose!"

"I won!" BlackRose cheered and gave Iam a big hug. "I can't believe it! I won!"

"I can only assume that you two are great at making everything except chocolate," Balmung coughed. "BlackRose, come and claim your prize." BlackRose went up to the judge's stand and was handed a large chocolate with a pretty icing rose on top. "And for Runner-up Iam, we have this." Iam went up and received a giant brown chocolate bar. It was so big, she had to carry it with both hands! "Giant Chocolate. Thank you all for coming and have a happy Valentine's day!"

"Did you bring the Antacid?" Reki asked.

"I hope once we log off the "Horrible Chocolate" status affect will be gone…" Balmung sighed. "Let's go Reki." With that, the two logged out.

"Look guys!" Iam laughed, "Isn't it huge?"

"Great job Iam!" Orizo smiled. "But hey, why were your pancakes so great, but your chocolate tasted awful?"

"Umm…well…" Iam shrugged. "Luck? Hey guys, let's go and eat this together! It'll be my Valentine's Day gift to all of you!"

"All right, sounds great," Orizo smiled.

"Yes, it does look delicious," Zaiten agreed.

"As long as you don't give it to Orizo-sama, I'm all for that!" Chikoro laughed as the group walked off together, ready to have the best pre-Valentine's day of their lives.

* * *

"Hey BlackRose!" BlackRose turned around to see a boy with blue hair and a red outfit run up to her. "I saw you at the contest, you were great!"

"Oh thanks," she blushed. "Here," she out stretched the chocolate to him. "This is for you Kite."

Kite looked at it and smiled. "Thanks."

"It doesn't mean anything!" she insisted to him. "I can't just let it sit in my pack all day, can I? Don't get smug or anything!"

"I won't," Kite laughed. "Hey, want to go meet up with the others? I bet everyone will want to hear about your big win."

"Sure," she smiled and took Kite's hand. "Let's get moving!"

* * *

The End

FINALLY FINISHED! 24 Pages of non-stop .hack goodness! No Prism Players, but don't worry, the action will start again next chapter! Thanks to all who read!

Don't forget R&R!


	7. The Threat Has Come

Author's Notes: Here we are with chapter 7 of Log On! I'm so excited about the great feedback I've been getting from the story! (I'm also excited because I just started .hackQuarantine! Almost done with the series of games!)

Anyway, here we are with the seventh chapter!

* * *

Chapter 7 – The Threat Has Come 

Golden week was over, and that meant school was back in session. Both Mai and Ayumi had switched into their short sleeved sailor suits for the summer session of school, while Souchirou and Hiromi had taken off their jackets for the remainder of the year. To celebrate the end of Golden Week, the four had decided to make a quick stop at Start Button to visit before school.

"And like I was saying," Sota had been telling the four kids the latest rumors going around the net. They sat on stools in front of the counter, captivated. A few people sat at computers, playing "The World". "There have been reports of strange disturbances all around the net. Infected areas on the game have become uninfected, but what's more…" he winked. "Is that players all over the world are falling comatose. CC Corp says is has nothing to do with the game, but who would believe that?"

"I see…" Mai nodded, not mentioning what she knew about the infected areas.

"Sota!" Fuko's voice came from inside the employee's area as she came out, scowling. "Are you spreading rumors again? I swear! Next you'll be saying grunties have taken over Tokyo Tower!"

"Hey, it isn't a rumor! It's true!" Sota countered.

"Yeah right! Just like the giant tree in the sky of Dun Loireag?"

"Okay, so that _was_ a joke…"

"Anyway," Souchirou raised an eyebrow and shifted his glasses. "It's not really that important anyway, I'm sure everything will get back to normal soon."

Mai, Hiromi, and Ayumi shot each other looks. "Yeah…" Hiromi nodded. "All we can do with ride it out, right?"

Mai's gaze shifted up to the clock that read "7:40". "Guys, time to go. We don't want to be late for school, AGAIN."

"Yeah," Ayumi nodded and leapt off her stool. "Good old Makuchei High, punctual, if not practical."

"Anyway, see you Fuko, So—OW!" Mai fell backwards as a girl with messy long black hair and black eyes pushed past her, knocking her to the ground. The girl ran forward, not paying any attention to Mai.

"Watch it!" the girl snapped, her voice harsh as she threw open the door and slammed it shut after her. Hiromi helped Mai up; Mai scowling after the girl.

"Who does she think she is? Just bumping into me and not bothering to say sorry!" Mai got up, thanked Hiromi and looked at the stool the girl had been occupying, which was still swiveling around in front of its computer. She gazed at the computer screen and saw that the username was still in the "Log In" box. She glanced at it. "Gabriella?"

"Mai! C'mon, we have to get to school," Ayumi grabbed Mai's arm and led her out the door.

"See ya guys!" Hiromi waved after Sota and Fuko as the four of them rushed out of the glass door to school.

* * *

"Class," Mai's homeroom teacher, Sanagawa-sensei, an older man in his 50's or so, spoke to the class as the bell rang and he entered. After they had bowed to him and taken their seats, he cleared his throat and began to speak. "I hope you all enjoyed your Golden Week, but now it's back to school, and we've got a new transfer student joining us." 

"Transfer Student?" Mai whispered to Ayumi, who sat next to her.

"I wonder who it is…" Ayumi whispered back.

"Please welcome Miss Ryoko Watanabe," the teacher motioned in Ryoko to the class and Mai's eyes widened as she saw the girl walk in.

She was the girl from Start Button! The one that had knocked Mai down! Because she had been running so fast, Mai hadn't seen that she was wearing the school uniform. As she walked to the front of the class, she tossed her messy long black hair, held back by a violet head band. She faced the room and crossed her arms, as if bored. "Ryoko came from Kobe…she…umm…"

"I got into a fight and got expelled," she shrugged. "I don't see what the big deal is."

"Umm…yes, to be quite frank," Sanagawa-sensei nodded, wiping his brow. "Umm…Ryoko, is there anything you'd like to share with the class about yourself?"

"Don't bother me, I won't bother you," Ryoko told them coldly. "My one and only rule, got that? Anyone who does bother me will get a swift ass kicking, of which they will deserve."

The entire class was silent as Ryoko turned to the teacher. "Where do I sit teach?"

"Umm…how about to the right of Kanzaki-san?" he pointed to Ayumi. "Also…you'll need a guide…"

Mai and Ayumi looked at each other, worried. 'Not me, not me, not me…' Mai silently prayed.

"How about Mai-san?"

'Damn.'

"Whatever…" Ryoko lowered her eyelids and sat down next to Ayumi. She promptly opened up her bag and pulled out a music player. Placing the headphones into her ears, she began to bang her head back and forth to the music.

"Umm…Miss Watanabe," Sanagawa-san called and she opened one eyelid. "We don't allow music players in class."

"Excuse me," Ryoko drawled sarcastically and placed the music player back in her bag. She leaned on her arm on her desk. "Are you gonna start teaching?"

"Umm—uh, yes! Of course…"

Mai didn't talk to Ryoko as she chewed on her pencil absentmindedly…she hoped that she wouldn't have to talk to her all day…

* * *

"So guide," Ryoko spoke to Mai at lunch time and Mai facefaulted at her bad luck. "What's the deal around here?" 

"Umm…the cafeteria is this way, we go eat our food there."

"Really? I thought we ate it in the janitor's closet," Ryoko rolled her eyes sarcastically and Mai growled under her breath. Hiromi, Ayumi, and Souchirou were all around her, doing their best to provide support.

"She's a nasty one…" Hiromi whispered to Mai.

"I can't believe we have to eat with her…" Ayumi spoke.

"Well you'll just have to put up with it, won't you pom-pom ditz?" Ryoko asked and Ayumi turned around, her eyes narrowed.

"What-did-you-call-me?"

"Pom-pom ditz, cheerleader bimbo, peppy twit," Ryoko shrugged. "You pick."

"LET ME AT HER!" Ayumi tried to thrash at Ryoko with her pom-poms and batons, only to have her friends hold her back. "I'LL KILL HER!"

"What a ditz…" Ryoko cocked an eyebrow and sauntered past the enraged Ayumi, who was now steaming out of her ears, her face red.

"I'm-going-to-get-her…" Ayumi growled.

* * *

"Umm…you don't have to sit with us if you don't want, Ryoko," Mai offered as Ryoko joined them at their usual eating spot. 

"It's not like I have friends to eat with," Ryoko shrugged. "And since you're my guide, you have to show me around the place all day." She stretched the word "all" and Mai felt herself groaning inwardly.

"Oh…I…guess you're right…" Mai admitted, laughing nervously.

Hiromi looked down at his lunch and smiled. Today was the first day he had actually made lunch for him and Mai to share… He had finally gotten up the nerve to ask her to eat some of his homemade food, and he had even gotten Ayumi not to interfere but being super nice to her. It was perfect. "Umm…Mai!"

"Yeah?" she asked her, turning her head.

"W-would you like to eat some of my lunch?" Hiromi asked. "I made it, as a thank you for the chocolate bar!"

"Sure," she smiled warmly. "I'll eat some."

"Say ahhh!" Hiromi took some of the homemade food in his chopsticks and Mai blushed and opened her mouth.

"Ahhhh!"

"Yum!" Mai opened her eyes and saw Hiromi's eyes popping out of his head as Ryoko chewed on what was on the chopstick. She licked her fingers. "Man! That was good! Who would have known a guy like you could cook?" She grabbed the boxed lunch and began eating. "Can I have some more? You don't mind right?"

"Umm…actually" But it was too late. Ryoko quickly engulfed the entire lunch, leaving the box completely empty. "Y-you…you ate…everything…"

"It was that good!" She laughed, rubbing her now full stomach. "Consider it an honor that I ate it all." She quickly took out her music player, stuck in her headphones and began to listen, her eyes closed.

"She-she-I'm-going-to-kill-her!" Hiromi flared, eyes red, veins bulging.

* * *

"I guess this is the library?" Ryoko asked as they passed the large library. "Won't spend much time in there, that's for sure." 

"G-guys, try to calm down," Mai tried to assuage the anger of Hiromi and Ayumi, so far to no success. Both of them were still fuming while following Ryoko and Mai around.

"NEVER!" Ayumi screeched under her breath.

"She's a witch!" Hiromi added.

"You are overreacting," Souchirou commented and the two looked at him as if to say "whose side are you on!" "She might be rude and gluttonous, but I am sure that she means well deep down."

"Yum! Ice cream!" Ryoko commented as they passed the school's Student Vendor in which they were selling ice cream. "Hey guys, want some?"

"Y-you're offering to buy us some?" Mai asked and Souchirou triumphantly smiled.

"See? I told you, she is really a good person." Souchirou walked up to the girl. "I would love to have some cream that is iced! I prefer mint flavor."

"Sure!" She smiled warmly. "How about you guys?"

"Umm…I like Strawberry…" Mai said.

"Vanilla," Ayumi said, trying to get over her anger.

"Umm…blueberry swirl," Hiromi said.

"And I like Grape," she smiled as the vendor passed her the five ice cream cones. "Ooops!" She covered her mouth and turned to Souchirou. "I don't have any money!"

"YOU DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY!" The four asked, dumbstruck.

"I guess," she smirked at Souchirou. "You'll just have to pay…"

"M-me!" Souchirou asked, his glasses fogging up. "B-but?"

"He'll pay," she pointed to Souchirou and he looked at the vendors who were still waiting for their money.

"B-but you said you would"

"Hey…" In a second, Souchirou had been hoisted up by the collar and was being held above Ryoko's head by Ryoko. "Pay up, don't you want to treat a lady?"

"O-of course…" Souchirou laughed, not wanting to be pummeled by the girl. He quickly threw down ¥1000 onto the counter.

"Good!" She smiled and threw him down. "Now…" she looked over at the five cones in her hand. "I wonder which one was mine…"

"The Grape..."

"I guess I'll just eat all of them to make sure!" She quickly licked over all five cones, and Souchirou and the other's eyes bugged out of their heads. "Yummy! C'mon, let's keep going on the tour!"

Souchirou watched her skip down the hall, still eating the ice cream. His ears grew red and his glasses fogged up. "Conniving-uneducated-violent-untamed-brat!" He spat and joined Hiromi and Ayumi in their fuming. "I'm-going-to-personally-annihilate-her!"

"Save some for me…" Hiromi snarled.

"And me…" Ayumi growled.

"Uh oh…" Mai sweatdropped. "This is getting bad…"

* * *

"Finally!" Ryoko yawned as the afternoon break came around. "That Biology Class was so boring I thought I was going to dissect my own brain to see if I cared at all!" 

"I guess," Mai laughed nervously. Hiromi, Ayumi, and Souchirou were sitting across the room, probably plotting Ryoko's downfall. "So…Ryoko! What do you like to do in your spare time?"

"Umm…I like to listen to music," Ryoko shrugged. "That's really pretty much it. None of your business anyway."

Mai frowned. Ryoko really was acting like such a jerk, with no right to do so! After all, they had done nothing to her. Mai decided it was time to use her trump card.

Common Ground.

"So, you like to play "The World"?" Ryoko's eyes shot wide open and she looked at Mai.

"Wh-what did you say?"

"You ran into me this morning at Start Button," Mai told her, smiling. "Remember? You were in a real hurry, probably didn't want to be late on your first day."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"What level are you?" Mai asked. "Maybe we can play together. I'm a level 14 Long Arm."

"I told you, I don't play your stupid game!" Ryoko stood up rather violently, making Mai back off and the other three turn their heads to the situation. "I don't have time for your geek games, I'm leaving..." she stood up and walked out of the room, grabbing her books on the way. "And if we're in the same class next period, don't even think of sitting next to me!"

Mai looked out as Ryoko ran down the stairs of the room. The three others came over to her with confused looks on their faces. "What was that about?" Hiromi asked.

"I asked her about this morning…she said it wasn't her," Mai frowned. "But I'm positive it was…"

"Who cares, as long as she's out of our hair," Ayumi fumed. "Hey guys, let's meet on and get that last level we need to get to Theta server! How about 4:00?"

"Sure, it's a deal," Mai smiled at her three friends, then looked out the door that Ryoko had ran threw.

* * *

Mai quickly logged onto "The World" that night to see that there were new board messages. She quickly clicked on them and her eyes widened. 

The message from Uteni about her comatose victim friend had been deleted! Mai clicked on it.

* * *

Subject: Deleted 

xxxxxxxxxxxdeletedxxxxxxxxxxx

* * *

"It's…been…deleted," Mai said, her eyebrow arched. She looked down at the one from Wikiwen, and saw that it too had been deleted. "How strange…what's going on here?" 

She noticed there was a new message as well…this one…she didn't like.

* * *

Subject: Protected Areas 

Sender: CC Corp

Due to imbalances and complaints from players, a select few areas have been placed under protection. These areas are not allowed to be entered into. We apologize for the disturbance.

* * *

Mai gulped. "No!" she whispered. "Kalen told us…he told us…" 

"_Why is the infection receding after we beat these bugs?" Iam asked, "It doesn't make much sense."_

"_That's because the pigs at CC Corp haven't started Protecting the Areas…" Kalen said bitterly, "Once they start, and they will start soon…the infection will spread."_

"_What do you mean?" Orizo asked._

"_The Prism Players use the technology that blocks players from going into areas to infect them," Kalen explained, "But soon…once their power grows, they won't need that anymore."_

"If they start protecting the areas, the infection will only spread!" Mai insisted. "B-but…there's nothing we can do…except…"

Mai quickly logged out and sent an e-mail to CC Corp.

* * *

Subject: Urgent Matter 

Sender: Iam

This is a player, Iam, telling you to please not protect the areas! It's hard to explain why, and I can't really explain at the moment, but please, you've got to believe me! Don't protect the areas!

* * *

Mai went back onto the boards and read a new message that had been posted…she knew that this was a lead to finding a protected area.

* * *

Subject: Strange Looking Area 

Sender: Reiner

Hey, I found this strange looking area that was all messed up. There was only one other guy there that I could see, a long arm and when I tried to talk to him, he walked away! I got creeped out, so I just gated out. The area's protected now, but man was it strange!

The keywords were **∆ Screaming Evil-Eyed Milestone! **Does this have anything to do with those coma victims?

* * *

Mai looked at it and hoped that something would come up…all she could do now was log into "The World".

* * *

Iam materialized in Mac Anu once again to see Orizo, Chikoro, and Zaiten waiting for her, looking solemn. "You guys…read the board messages?" 

"Yeah," Orizo nodded. "This is bad…Moyotu and the others will definitely start taking advantage of the protection…"

"We've got to hack those gates and stop the Data Bugs to slow the infection!" Chikoro told them. "Kalen said we use those cores to hack the gates right?"

"And I can hack them," Zaiten nodded. Chikoro laid out the cores.

"We've got…one T, one V, and one O…" Chikoro bit her lip. "Let's see…"

"Hey! Out of the way n00bs, I'm trying to get to the Chaos Gate!" The group looked up, Chikoro throwing the cores back into her pack, and saw a girl with a large axe standing over them. She had short rich chocolate brown hair and brown eyes to match. She had a tiara on her forehead and two cute marking in violet on her face. She had a crop top with two long flowing sleeves and a long skirt, all colored a dark or pale violet. Her shoes were also violet. On her back were two small dark violet wings. (Note: This is Subaru's character design modified, in case you can't tell.) She scowled at them. "Will you move?"

"Hey!" Chikoro scowled. "We're busy here! No need to be so rude!"

"Hmm…" Iam frowned and walked up to the girl who shot her a dark look.

"What do you want?"

Iam got a little closer and smiled. "I'm just examining you. What's your name?"

"Not that it's any of your business," the girl sniffed. "It's Gabriella, what are your guys'?"

"I knew it!" Iam laughed. "Hey Ryoko! It's me, Mai!"

"HUH?"

"HUH?"

Both Gabriella and Iam's friends stepped back from surprise. "H-h-how…you must be mistaken! That's not my name…"

"But it is!" Iam nodded. "At Start Button this morning, when you ran out, you forgot to delete your username from the Log In box, it still said Gabriella."

"I told you that wasn't me!" Gabriella snapped, then covered her mouth, realizing she had just given herself away.

"Oh…it wasn't?" Iam cocked an eyebrow.

"Okay, okay, you caught me!" Gabriella sighed. "So what? I play "The World". I only play it because my little sister does and my parents wanted me to look after her!"

"Really?" Orizo asked. "Where is she now?"

Gabriella blushed. "Umm…she's…in another area right now."

"Then why aren't you going there with her?" Iam asked, smirking lightly.

"I-I was just about to until you dorks got in the way!" She shoved through them.

"She's not on right now is she?" Iam asked. "Does she even have a character?"

Gabriella shot Iam a glare. "So what! Okay, I play the dumb game, what's it to you?"

"Look," Iam reached out her hand to Gabriella, who looked at it warily. "I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I'd like to be friends. Want to go on a dungeon adventure with us?"

"But Iam!" Chikoro whispered. "We have to go to that Protected Area, remember?"

"I'll pass," Gabriella sniffed and the other heaved a sigh of relief. "I have to go to a certain area anyway."

"Which one?" Iam asked.

"∆ **Screaming Evil-Eyed Milestone**." Iam and the others' eyes widened as Gabriella spoke the name. "Last Sunday I got killed by a super strong monster there and lost lots of EXP points. I got mad so I'm going back to beat it now."

"Y-you can't!" Iam told her.

"She's right," Orizo nodded, trying to convince Gabriella. "It's protected now, you can't go back."

"Protected! Aww dammit!" Gabriella cursed loudly. "This sucks…"

"So I guess you'll just have to go to a new area," Chikoro laughed nervously. "C'mon guys, let's see if we can get there with these cores."

"Huh?" Gabriella asked. "You can get there! Awesome! You know I'm coming now!"

"Smooth Chikoro…" Iam narrowed her eyes and Chikoro blushed. "Umm…we're not sure…"

"Let's see…" Chikoro gave the cores to Zaiten. "Zaiten, use your ring to hack the gates."

"Are those sub-event items?" Gabriella asked. "Where can I get one? I want to go to protected areas too."

"Yo-you can't get them…normally," Iam told her. "Look, Gabriella, it would be better if you just stayed here."

"Are you saying I'd just get in the way!" Gabriella snapped. "Please! I'm a level 14 Heavy Axeman, this area's level 14 too! I'll be fine!"

"I-it's just that…umm…" Iam scratched her head for a reason. "We're umm…doing an event and…"

"An event quest? Now you KNOW I'm coming!" Gabriella smiled and sent her member address to Iam and the others. "Now you have my member address, invite me to a party."

"What do we do?" Orizo whispered. "Should we take her with us?"

"How about this?" Iam suggested. "Zaiten, Gabriella, and I will go to the area while you and Chikoro look around to see if there are anymore protected areas around."

"But what if you can't defeat the Data Bug with only two rings?" Orizo asked. "Koga's took four to beat!"

"But that's before our rings evolved," Iam told him. "I bet it'll take half the power now!"

"She's got a point," Chikoro nodded.

"All right," Orizo sighed. "Chikoro and I will dig up some dirt while you guys go and defeat that Data Bug."

"Okay Gabriella, you'll be going with Zaiten and me," Iam waved to Gabriella and invited her to a party, then Zaiten.

"But…we are faced with a problem," Zaiten pointed out. "I, Zaiten, have no idea how to activate the gate hacking powers of my ring."

"Well, that's simple enough!" A voice spoke loudly and the group looked up, wondering who had spoken to them. Then, a small "thump" came from behind them and the group turned around.

It was Kalen, smiling at them from behind his black goggles. "Who the hell is he?" Gabriella asked and Kalen looked at her. Immediately, his eyes went to her hands and his eyebrow cocked.

"Bringing a non-ring holder to a protected area? Not a wise choice."

"You said our rings have evolved," Chikoro pointed out. "Iam and Zaiten alone should be enough."

"Whatever," Kalen shrugged. "Anyway…" he walked up to Zaiten and smiled. "It's quite simple. Just try to access the area…"

"Umm…if you say so…" Zaiten nodded and walked up to the Chaos Gate. **"∆ Screaming Evil-Eyed Milestone!" **

A screen flashed saying "PROTECTED: YOU CANNOT WARP TO THIS AREA". "Now what?" Iam asked.

"Uh-uh-uh…" Zaiten stammered and the group looked down to see his ring glowing a bright green. "Now what?"

"You know what to say," Kalen smiled. "Go ahead."

Zaiten gulped and took a large breath. "GATE HACK!"

The screen flashing the "PROTECTED" vanished and into Zaiten's hand dropped a green circuit board with small circular holes in it.

"What the?"

"This is a Gate Hacking Board," Kalen explained. "Your rings have accessed this new type of board that takes circular cores instead of the old ones. CC Corp thought that after they protected the areas, they would have no problem with hacking from the old .hackers. Unfortunately," Kalen raised his eyebrows, a smirk still plastered on his face. "They never thought that we'd get new Data Drainers either. Now…plug in the cores."

"Umm…let's see…" Zaiten looked over the board. "We need one O…" he plugged it in. "One T and one…N."

"N?" Chikoro asked. "We don't have one of those!"

"Here," Kalen placed a small circular core into Zaiten's hand and he fingered it. "That's an N core. Use it to finish hacking that gate."

Zaiten placed the core in and saw the board glow. He looked back at Iam and Gabriella and nodded. "Let us go…" he took a deep breath and yelled. "Gate Hacking COMPLETE!"

In a second, Zaiten's ring glowed and began to grow branches (not tree branches, think of Kite's bracelet) out of it. He raised up in the air and soon, the air around them changed into a stream of light and colors.

"GO NOW!" Iam screamed and they jumped out of the passing light.

* * *

Thump thump. The group landed unsteadily on their feet and looked around. The area looked like the other destroyed areas, only slightly darker. "Wh-what is this freaky place?" Gabriella asked. "What just happened?" 

"We're in the area," Iam narrowed her eyebrows. "Let's head to the dungeon!"

"H-hey, wait for me!" Gabriella ran after the two towards the dungeon.

* * *

"We're here…" Gabriella sighed as they reached the first level of the dungeon. "This is too weird! Let's just kill that monster and get out!" 

"We're looking for something too Gabriella," Iam told her.

"Hey!" Gabriella yelled and Iam and Zaiten looked up. Iam's eyebrow raised as she saw another player at the end of the hall.

He was a male long arm with long light purple hair that was divided into two bangs that fell across his face. He had a forehead band colored violet and his sharp eyes were colored violet as well. His top was a white long sleeved jacket that was open to show his chest. He had matching long white pants and lightly colored purple slippers. His jacket and pants had wave like purple markings on them and he had two lavender scratch marks on his face. On his back was a purple handled golden spear.

"Hey!" Gabriella called again. "Do you know why this area is so weird? How'd you get in here, do you have that weird thing too?"

The man just looked at her with his cold eyes and blinked a few times. Then, he swiftly headed into the next room. "Jerk…" Gabriella growled. "Quick, let's go."

"Who was that?" Iam asked Zaiten. "How'd he get here?"

"There is no doubt about it…" Zaiten said grimly. "He is no doubt a Prism Player."

* * *

"Finally! The final level!" Gabriella heaved a panted sigh. "At least the monsters in this area are normal, everything else is completely screwed up." 

"No sign of that strange player," Zaiten whispered to Iam.

"I know…" Iam told him. "I'm getting anxious."

"Look!" Gabriella laughed and pointed to the final room in the dungeon. "This is the room where that monster beat me! C'mon let's go!"

Iam sighed and walked along with Gabriella, then stopped as she headed in. Just then, purple smog started to rise from the door frame. "Oh no!"

"A Data Bug!" Zaiten nodded. "Quickly Iam-san, let us head in and destroy it!"

"Right!" Iam sprinted forward after Gabriella into the final room of the dungeon.

"WOAH!" Gabriella screamed as she pointed to a giant three headed dog covered with green scales. "What the heck is that! That's not the monster from before!"

"I knew it!" Iam growled. "A Data Bug! Gabriella, just attack it, Zaiten and I will handle it once we get it weathered down!"

"Wait."

Iam, Zaiten, and Gabriella looked up to see the strange player from before floating in the air on his spear, looking down at them. "Wait a minute."

"What the hell?" Iam asked, pulling out her spear and pointing it at him. "Who are you!"

"You are no doubt a Prism Player," Zaiten said calmly. "So, will you tell us what your motivation is?"

"I…am Ryuin," Ryuin said. "The only reason I'm doing this is because Moyotu says we have to…I was assigned to this area. Once my Data Bug defeats you, then I'll use the protection to infect the area permanently."

"Wait! You're only doing this because Moyotu says so!"

"Moyotu has her reasons…" Ryuin shrugged. "Reasons that really aren't any of your business. Moyotu and I happen to have the same goal in mind…her powers and plans will help me achieve my goal."

"Where is Moyotu now?"

"Enough questions," Ryuin snapped. "Kill them my Data Bug."

The Cerberus roared and ran toward Iam. Zaiten quickly sliced its leg and growled and lunged back at him. "La Repth!" Iam called and recovered everyone's HP.

"What the heck?" Gabriella asked as she sliced the monster with her axe. "Its HP is all strange!"

"Just keep attacking!" Iam commanded. "Don't worry about anything!"

"You're nuts!" Gabriella called, yet she kept slicing anyway. "Ani Don!" The spell converged on the monster.

"It's futile…" Ryuin told them in his icy cold voice.

"You're next!" Iam growled. "SUVI LEI!" She called and held up a scroll. Ryuin was frozen to the spot.

"Damn!" He snarled. "My keyboard isn't responding either!"

"Funny? Can't hack out of that?" Iam smirked. "That kind of thing would be grade school stuff for Kalen."

WHAM! The next thing Iam knew, she was on the ground, her lip bleeding and her HP severely damaged.

"Iam!" Zaiten called and passed her a Health Drink to heal herself with. Iam caught it and drank it gratefully.

"Wh-what?" Iam asked and saw Ryuin standing in front of her, his spear at her throat. "How did you get out of the scroll?"

"NEVER – SAY – THAT – NAME – AGAIN!" He screamed, his eyes livid with fury. "NEVER!"

He raised his spear and in a swift motion brought it down to silence Iam. She lifted her hand and screamed. "AHHH!"

"EAT THIS SHIT-FOR-BRAINS!" Ryuin flew backwards into the wall, bleeding profusely as Gabriella stood over Iam, panting.

"Ga-Gabriella?" Iam asked, blinking rapidly to make sure it was her.

"Don't mess with me and my friends!" She screamed, flashing a rather rude sign at him. "Or you're going to get it!"

Iam looked at her, still on the ground. "Fr-friends?"

"Are you going to get up or what?" Gabriella asked Iam and she nodded, getting up. "C'mon, let's deal with that monster first!"

"Right!" Iam nodded, smiling warmly. She drew her spear and launched herself at the monster. "Eat this!" She sliced the monster, and Gabriella gave it a sharp hit with her axe. With a final slash of Zaiten's katana, the words PROTECT BREAK flashed above the monster.

"Zaiten!" Iam called as she out stretched her hand. Zaiten joined her.

"Right!" he nodded and the two took a deep breath and bellowed:

"RED AND GREEN-"

"Wait!" The two looked up to see none other then Prisma above them. "Your rings are not enough to defeat it!"

"What!" Iam asked. "How do you know?"

"Who the hell is that?" Gabriella asked, eyes wide.

"I am Prisma…" she floated down to Gabriella and took her right hand. She touched her thumb lightly and smiled. "You…have a gift that was born from the power of your friendship." When she lifted her hand, on Gabriella's thumb was a violet ring with the carving for "more" inside it. She looked at it and her eyes grew wide. "Now, defeat it with the power of the fifth ring holder."

"Right!" Iam nodded and turned to Gabriella. "Gabriella, use your ring to help us!"

"I-I…I'll do my best…" Gabriella ran up to them and outstretched her hand. "Ready guys?"

"Ready!" the two yelled. All of them stared the monster down and screamed:

"RED, GREEN, VIOLET DATA DRAIN!" The lights flew towards the monster and destroyed its green flakes.

"Now! Get it!" The three ran forward and wore down the monster until it finally dropped down dead.

Iam smiled and wiped her brow. "We did it…" She turned toward Ryuin, who was just starting to get up from his heavy wounds. "Now…for you."

"Do what you want…" Ryuin spat. "One causality is nothing for the Prism Players…"

"How can you say that?" Ryuin looked up to see Iam looking at him, her eyes narrowed angrily. "The Prism Players are your team! Don't they care what happens to you?"

"Teammates are friends!" Gabriella said sharply. "How can these Prism Players just abandon you here?"

Ryuin looked down at the floor, not answering. Finally, he spoke. "Where is Kalen?"

"Huh?" Iam asked.

"Where is Kalen?" He looked up. "You know him…I must find him."

"If you promise not to infect anymore areas and leave players alone," Iam offered. "Then we'll take you to him."

Ryuin looked at them, as if considering their offer. Finally, he took a step forward…

"Ryuin, no!" Iam, Gabriella, and Zaiten looked around as they heard a voice. Golden rings formed in the air, and none other than a blue clad werewolf came out into the room. She landed onto the ground and ran forward to Ryuin.

"Cir-Circeca?" Ryuin asked, dumbfounded. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't go with them Ryuin!" Circeca cried. "We've got to follow Moyotu! They're just trying to trick you…have you already forgotten?" She asked and Ryuin's eyes widened.

"N-no…"

"C'mon…" she threw him over her shoulder and looked at the three, her eyes narrowed. "Don't think you've escaped. Remember, this area has already been infected permanently. Our wave is starting. I'll be back to destroy all of you." And with that, the two gated out.

"Who was that?" Gabriella asked.

"Another Prism Player…" Iam furrowed her brow. "She may have been the one to put in that Data Bug at the area Chikoro and I went to."

"Let's get back to Chikoro-sama and Orizo," Zaiten suggested. "We should alert them of our new ring holder."

"I agree," Iam smiled. "Let's get back."

"Umm…Iam?" Gabriella spoke up.

"Hmm?"

"I…I'm sorry for the way I acted this afternoon," she sighed. "The truth is…I…I was just trying to act tough…like I didn't need any friends. I…I…I'm sorry."

"Did you really get into a fight and get expelled?" Iam asked. "Doesn't sound like you."

"No…I just moved away from my old school. The teacher didn't know so…" Gabriella looked at the ground. "I…I was lonely, so I convinced myself that I didn't need any friends." She bowed to the two. "Please forgive me…"

"But today…" Iam smiled at her and she looked up. "When you protected me, you were pretty tough. You really are a badass!"

Gabriella looked at Iam, confused, and then laughed. "You bet! Did you like the "shit for brains" comment?"

"Loved it!" Iam giggled. "C'mon, let's get back so we can get on friendly terms with the others!"

"Right!" Gabriella nodded and the three gated out.

* * *

"Ryuin!" As Ryuin and Circeca warped to a strange area with warped colors and tall buildings, Koga ran up to them, hair now strangely green. "Are you okay? What happened?" 

"Have you been fooling with your hair color again Koga?" Circeca asked, ruffling the new colored hair.

"That doesn't matter! Ryuin, you're hurt!"

"I'll tend to his wounds, don't worry," Circeca assured him. "Where's everyone else?"

"Most are gone looking for areas to infect," Koga told her. "Izaile's in his room."

"Let's get your wounds cleaned up…" Circeca said to Ryuin and golden hoops appeared around them as they warped away from Koga.

* * *

"Circeca…" Ryuin rasped as Circeca laid him on a wide bed in a strange room full of plants and small blue wolf statues. "Th-they…know Kalen…" 

"Shh…" she whispered and paused. She waved her hand over his wounds and they were quickly healed. "Thank goodness…don't scare me like that…"

"I…I would have been fine…" Ryuin assured her, blushing and sitting up as Circeca sat down next to him. "I could have just rewritten my characters HP levels."

"But you were so hurt…" Circeca insisted to him, looking extremely worried. "I'm…I'm worried about you. You should have never attacked her! You should have just gotten out as soon as possible!" She reached her hand out to him.

"Don't lecture me!" he snapped her hand away. She looked extremely hurt and stared at her feet. Ryuin turned to her and took her hand. "Ci-Circeca…I'm sorry…it's just that…"

"I…I understand…" Circeca nodded and looked into Ryuin's eyes. He looked back at her and the two found themselves leaning in closer to each other.

"Get a room you two." The two broke from their trance and looked up to see none other than Moyotu standing in Circeca's room, looking at them.

"M-Moy! This is my room! Doesn't a girl get a shred of privacy!"

"Not when you've got hackers living with you." She started to look grim. "They've gained another ring holder…but as long as CC Corp is protecting the areas, there's no way that they can beat us."

"They…they said they knew Kalen," Ryuin said.

"They do, he's helping them…" Moyotu bit her lip. "Don't worry Ryuin, as long as you keep following me then you'll get your revenge."

"Good," he snarled. "That's all I want."

"Ryuin…" Circeca murmured.

"Now…our next area has been determined," Moyotu snapped her fingers, and the room melted away to reveal the same strange city they had been in before. Koga looked at the three of them. Another person stepped forward, shrouded by shadows. "Isn't that right Yusena?"

"That's right darling!" a peppy voice chirped. "And this time…" it grew suddenly menacing and the speaker smirked, almost all of their teeth showing. "There's no way they'll be able to stop it."

* * *

Finished! I hope you enjoyed the PP (Prism Player) romance there! Who would have thought! Evil hackers with unspoken love! Don't worry, it won't always be this mushy. The butt kicking is getting itself on next chapter! 

Now…REVIEW!

Press the button…you know you want to.


	8. Testing, One, Two, Three

Author's Notes: The eighth chapter of Log On! Is here! I'm so happy! That I am!

I want to thank everyone for their support! I've reached over 50 reviews! I'm so happy! . Don't forget to keep on reviewing!

* * *

Chapter 8 – Testing, One, Two, Three 

"Crap this SUCKS!" Ryoko screamed as she, Mai, Ayumi, Souchirou, and Hiromi all sat in the school library, tucked away in a corner with their textbooks. "I can't believe it! A gigantic exam! How the heck are we supposed to pass this thing?"

"I don't know, studying?" Hiromi suggested.

"But I suck at school…" Ryoko whined. "I always fail tests and crap like that…"

"Then study extra hard this time!" Mai commanded.

"Oh yeah! Easy coming from you, Miss Straight A's!"

"Look, what's the answer to this equation?" Mai asked, pointing to one in Ryoko's math book.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" Ryoko asked. "C'mon, I'm tired of studying, let's go get burgers!"

"Ryoko…" Souchirou adjusted his glasses. "We've only been studying for ten minutes."

"Ack!" Ryoko fell over. "It seems like ten hours!"

"C'mon," Ayumi gave her an encouraging smile. "I know you can do it!"

* * *

"I take it back, you can't do it," Ayumi said grimly as she, Mai, and the others all looked at Ryoko's test paper which had a large 23 circled. "Ryoko! What the heck is with this score?" 

"Yeah, you said you studied a lot last night!" Mai told her. "When we were all playing together?"

"I did…" Ryoko pouted. "I studied my computer screen, my CD's and my manga books."

"Watanabe-san!" The five all jumped five feet as their wizened old teacher, Furuoka-sensei, called to Ryoko. Her gray hair, strung tightly up in a bun, matched her tight expression. "That grade is a monstrosity. Your grades are already poor as it is."

"I know, I know!" Ryoko whined.

"That's why I'm sending home a grade printout. I want it signed by your parents," Furuoka-sensei gave Ryoko the printout, and Ryoko's face drained of all colored. "If not, I'll have to schedule a parent teacher conference."

"Uh…okay…" Ryoko nodded, still pale.

"Something wrong Ryoko?" Mai asked and Ryoko turned to her.

"Oh, nothing! Nothing at all!"

* * *

"Something's wrong, isn't it?" Iam asked that night as they all got ready to go and level up at a dungeon. With only about 500 experience points to go until the Theta server, they were all pumped to get leveling. But Gabriella was looking extremely put-out. 

"My Mom saw the grade printout," Gabriella sighed. "She says that if I don't get an A on the make-up test then I can't play "The World" anymore."

"HUH?" All four asked simultaneously. "You're kidding, right!"

"No…I tried to tell her that I have to play, but she didn't change her mind… And no playing until the make-up test either," Gabriella sighed. "It's not like I can tell her I have to save the planet or something."

"Don't worry Gabriella!" Chikoro smiled. "The test is in three days! We'll help you study!"

"Re-really?" Gabriella smiled. "All right! Let's meet at my house tomorrow after school! It can't be that hard!"

* * *

"It's that hard…" the next day, Friday, the five met at Ryoko's house to help her study, but things weren't going well. "I can't do this!" Ryoko whined. 

"You've got to!" Mai insisted."Now, this one, x2 (this is squared, FF net won't let me do it) + 19x + 18 is equal to0. Factor it!"

"When the heck am I going to have to use that in real life!" Ryoko asked incredulously. "Any of this Algebra crap!"

"That's not the point!" Hiromi insisted. "The point is that you've got to get an A on the next test!"

"Ladies, gentlemen, you're approaching this all wrong," Souchirou smirked behind his shiny glasses. "Let me take over the tutoring. I'm a Master."

"R-really Souchirou?" Ayumi asked, slightly flabbergasted.

"Of course! Everyone I've tutored has gotten excellent grades!"

"Woah! C'mon Four eyes, teach me!" Ryoko insisted. Souchirou didn't respond to the four eyes comment as he took out two pencils and two pads of paper.

"Okay, let's start with the basics…" Souchirou smiled. "Let's see if you can handle this one…" He wrote on the pad and showed it to her. "2+2."

WHAM.

Souchirou went flying out of Ryoko's window and into the sky due to Ryoko's fist. "Oh yeah right! He thinks I can't handle that! It's obviously…" she paused and the remaining three looked at her skeptically. "Four!"

Mai slapped her hand to her forehead. "You had to think about that?"

* * *

"Well! An entire day of my life, wasted!" Mai heaved a great sigh as she and Hiromi walked down the sidewalk that night. "Ryoko's never going to get an A on that test!" 

"We can't give up just yet," Hiromi assuaged. "You never know."

"I know one thing. Without Ryoko, we're toast against the Prism Players."

"That's why she's got to get an A on the test!" Hiromi told her. "Even if we have to chain her to a table to make her study!"

"I bet she'd break the chains…" Mai sighed and Hiromi laughed.

"I can imagine Ryoko doing that."

"Yeah! So can I!" Mai giggled, and then turned to Hiromi. "Hey…Hiromi?"

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Do you…think that the Prism Players are really out to hurt people?"

"Are you talking about Moyotu?" Hiromi asked. Mai shook her head.

"No…it's just that…it seemed that…" Mai shook her head again. "Ryuin had his reasons…"

"_Don't go with them Ryuin!" Circeca cried. "We've got to follow Moyotu! They're just trying to trick you…have you already forgotten?" She asked and Ryuin's eyes widened. _

"_N-no…" _

"What do you think they meant by "forgotten"?" Mai asked curiously.

"I'm not sure…" Hiromi shook his head. "But something tells me that they have their reasons for doing this. Whatever they may be."

"But whatever reasons they have – what they're doing is wrong!" Mai insisted to Hiromi and he nodded.

"You're right…"

"I'm worried…" Mai murmured and Hiromi flashed her a smile.

"Don't be!" Mai blushed as he grabbed her hand. "Remember? We're in this together! These rings are a symbol of that! No matter what they've got up their sleeves, we're ready, right?"

Mai looked at Hiromi, still flashing that smile of his, and she flashed one back. "Right," she nodded and the two kept walking down the sidewalk.

* * *

"All right Ryoko," it was the second day of studying, and the five had once again met at Ryoko's house. "Try this problem." 

"I told you! I don't get it!" Ryoko insisted. "Will you stop trying to pound this crap into my brain!"

"It isn't crap!" Mai snapped. "You've got to learn it if you want to keep playing "The World"!"

"I know…I know!" Ryoko whined once more. "But I just don't get it!"

"This isn't working…" Mai whispered to Hiromi. "She's completely uncooperative."

"What are we going to do?" asked Ayumi to the others. "I'm really worried."

"Hmm…" the four turned their heads to see Souchirou taking his arm out of its sling and adjusting his broken glasses. "I have an idea."

"Don't you dare try to push anymore of your bogus tutoring on me," Ryoko snarled threateningly.

"No, no, not at all! I know a good way we can all study," Souchirou smiled, flashing his glasses. "Quickly! To my home!"

* * *

"WOAH, SOUCHIROU, YOU'RE LOADED!" Ayumi exclaimed as the five arrived at Souchirou's gigantic mansion on the east side of town. It was at least three stories with angel fountains and elaborate shrubberies in the front garden. Souchirou, now miraculously healed thanks to artistic license, led the way up the cobblestone path. 

"You are all very simple," Souchioru sighed. "Except you of course Ayumi-sama. My last name is Hibiki, remember?"

"So?" Hiromi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't you read the newspaper you simpleton?" Souchirou asked indignantly. "My father owns Hibiki Games Industry!"

"Huh?" Ryoko asked. "What's that?"

"I've heard of that!" Hiromi gasped. "My Uncle's always buying stuff at his store from that company! They're big on single player computer games and online board games!"

"Yes," Souchirou nodded. "So, we're quite well off." Ayumi's face flashed with disgust as Souchirou slinked his arm around her shoulder. "If you marry me, Ayumi-sama, then you'll never have to worry about money…"

"GET OFF OF ME!" she gave Souchirou a sharp whack on the head, sending him flying into a nearby shrubbery cut in the shape of a platypus.

"Oh Ayumi-sama, your words do not reveal your true feelings," Souchirou shook his head as he did his best to untangle himself from the shrubbery. "Anyway! Onto the matter at present hand."

"Yeah, why did you bring us to your fancy mansion?" Mai asked, flipping her hair slightly behind her shoulder. "Just to show off for Ayumi?"

"Of course not," Souchirou scoffed. "I'm just as concerned about poor Ryoko's position as you are. After all, I am a ring holder as well."

"Then why did you bring us here?" Hiromi asked once again.

"Quickly!" Souchirou pointed defiantly. "To the Game room!"

* * *

"Laptops?" Mai asked incredulously, sitting down in front of a black laptop. On a table, five laptops were set up. Hiromi sat next to her, Chikoro on his right, Souchirou on her right, and Ryoko to Mai's left. "What are these for?" 

"Open them," Souchirou opened his laptop and began to type his password and username. "You should all be able to be connected now."

They all opened their laptops up, only to see a desktop labeled "HIBIKI GAMES" and a few icons. Mai moved her touch mouse over the icons and saw that one said "The World". "What's this?"

"We're going to study," Souchirou smiled and took out a cardboard box from under his feet. He opened it up steadily and took out a "The World" headset. After he had fastened his, he passed one to each of his friends.

"Souchirou, you know Ryoko's not allowed to play," Hiromi told him, but put on the headset anyway.

"Yeah, if my mom finds out, I'm dead meat on a stick," Ryoko sighed, placing the headset over her ears.

"But we are going to study," Souchirou explained. "Inside of the game."

"Don't be an idiot Souchirou," Ayumi frowned. "How can we play video games and study at the same time?"

"Just watch Ayumi-sama," Souchirou smiled and double-clicked "The World". "Just watch."

* * *

All five materialized in Mac Anu in front of the Chaos Gate. Gabriella looked apprehensive, probably scared that her mother would find out. Zaiten still had his cocky grin, and the others still were confused. 

"Zaiten, how are we supposed to study inside of a game?" Chikoro asked angrily.

"Easy Chikoro-sama! First, we need to select an area!" Zaiten went over to the Chaos Gate, and after a few flicks of the keyboard, he settled on an area. "All right, this one. **∆ Waning Eye's Retribution**. Level 15! Perfect, we can all level up! Ryoko, you and Chikoro-sama get into a party. The three of us will form another one. We'll get an experience point cut for fighting with two parties but-"

"ARE YOU EVEN THINKING!" Chikoro finally screamed. "If Ryoko gets caught, we'll all be in trouble! And we have to study for the test anyway!"

"Just have faith in me Chikoro-sama," Zaiten assured her. "All right, everyone ready? Let us go!"

With that, all five warped away, still confused and still worried.

* * *

"Here we are!" Zaiten smiled as they landed in an area with vast deserts and tall cacti. He looked around and dug into his pack. "Fairy's Orb!" The field's portals showed up on the screen. "Okay! Now…" 

"Zaiten, this is dumb!" Gabriella shouted. "If I get caught I am TOAST! And I need to study anyway!"

"There are sixteen portals and five of us." Gabriella stopped and looked at Zaiten. "If group A, Iam, Orizo, and I, take out three-fourths of the portals, how many will be left for your party? If so, how many monsters will you have each?"

Iam looked at Zaiten, a little shocked. He was using the game to help Gabriella study! Ryoko obviously couldn't focus sitting at a table with a book, but perhaps in the game, Gabriella could focus enough. "Umm…well…" Gabriella bit her lip. "There are…sixteen…three-fourths would make it…four…no, twelve! Twelve portals for party A. Party B would have four…that means that if Party B has only two members, then each member gets to defeat two monsters!"

"That's right!" Iam laughed, delighted. "You did it, Gabriella!"

"Of course that was an easy problem," Zaiten scoffed and Gabriella's face fell. "Let's keep on going!"

* * *

"Four portals in two rooms – six rooms total – each with the same amount of portals excluding one! Calculate the number of portals, then divide by the number of floors in the dungeon, five!" They had already arrived at the dungeon, Zaiten popping questions at Gabriella every portal. 

"Five times two portals, that's ten portals! Divide that by five…and you get 2 portals!"

"Good!" Zaiten nodded. "Now, there are ten portals on one floor, twelve on another, and eight on the last! Calculate the average."

"Easy! Ten portals per floor!"

"Wow, Gabriella," Orizo smiled as he destroyed another monster with a swish of his two blades. "You're doing great! You've answered every question right."

"I am a genius!" Gabriella laughed haughtily. "And all thanks to you four-eyes! I really owe you one!"

"No problem at all, I assure you," Zaiten laughed. "As long as Chikoro-sama is happy, my duty is done."

"Hey guys! We're almost at the last room!" Iam cheered. "Hey Zaiten, make the next question super hard!"

"All right, factoring!" Zaiten decided and Gabriella's face drained of color.

"I'm horrible at factoring!" she whined.

"C'mon, last room!" Orizo called and the five jumped into the final room, Gabriella still looking sullen about the fact that she had to factor.

Just as they jumped in, purple smoke started to rise from the bottom of the door frame…

* * *

"Huh?" Iam asked as the entered the empty room. "There's no monster in here! What a jip!" 

"And we were so close to level 15!" Chikoro pouted. "Now we have to find another dungeon!"

"No, no, there's one more monster!" The group gasped as they heard a voice from above them talk in a giddy, exuberant voice. "If you beat it, which you won't, you'll probably get your dumb level."

"Who are you?" Iam asked, drawing her spear. "Show yourself!"

"You're a Prism Player aren't you?" Gabriella spat. "Show yourself coward!"

"Jeez, jeez, you put ants in your pants?" the voice giggled. "You're all so uptight! Everyone is around here! It's all "revenge this" and "CC Corp that"!"

"Revenge?" Orizo asked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Ooops! I've said too much!" the voice laughed. "Time to show myself! After the bad guy confuses the heroes, he always makes his appearance." With a soft "tap" on the ground, a girl with bright orange short cut hair and large brown eyes landed. She had a high collared no sleeve white top on, decorated with orange markings that matched her short white skirt's. Her boots, knee length and also white, were decorated with orange lining. She was a Twin Blade and had two daggers on her belt. She winked at them. "Hey."

"I knew it!" Chikoro snarled. "You're a Prism Player, aren't you?"

"Yep, born and bred! Well, not really, but it sounds cool," the girl laughed. "I'm Yusena, nice to meet you all."

"Well, Yusena, show us your Data Bug," Orizo commanded.

"Yes, so we can destroy it!" Zaiten nodded.

"Man…you're so mean to me…" Yusena started to whimper. "You're the bad guys here, not me! Just look at you! I'm trying to be friendly and you get all defensive!"

"We have every right to be!" Gabriella snapped. "Aren't you going to try and kill us?"

"Well yeah," Yusena shrugged. "But you might as well be polite until I do."

"What do you mean by "revenge"?" Iam asked and the group turned to her. She had lowered her spear and was looking at Yusena darkly. "I need to know."

Yusena frowned. "I would darlin', I really would, but I'm afraid that my superiors would just get mad at me! I'm afraid that's my little secret."

"If you're going to kill us, then what's the problem with telling us?" Iam asked and the other's eyes widened in shock. Iam shrugged. "We'll take it to our graves. I'm pretty sure we can't beat your Data Bug, you look pretty powerful."

"Oh stop, you're embarrassing me!" Yusena giggled, but she had obviously taken the bait. "Okay, I'll let you in on a little bit! The reason that the Prism Players are infecting the areas are for revenge on CC Corp."

"What for?" Iam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Something to do with Moyotu. We've all got our reasons for joining though," Yusena smiled.

"What's yours?" Chikoro asked, now catching onto the plan.

"I thought that would be obvious!" Yusena laughed, waving her hand at Chikoro. "To have a boatload of fun!"

"Fun?" Orizo asked. "Putting other people in comas is fun?"

"Of course! I get to make my own monsters, customize my stats, jobs, even equipment! It's like a game to me! Putting people in comas is fun too! It's like you have lots of influence on the world," she winked. "But, I've said too much. Now, let's get down to business, shall we?"

In a flash, Yusena had summoned her Data Bug to the field. It had obviously been hiding on the ceiling before she had called it, but when it did land, it made the floor shake with its mighty size.

It was a gigantic walking skeleton, complete with mace and shield. It, of course, was adorned with the usual green flakes and infinite HP. It gave a menacing growl and Yusena smiled widely. "Do you like it? I've heard quality over quantity, but I decided that I'd rather have both! Have fun!" She waved, and quickly gated out.

"Get it guys!" Iam rushed forward and slashed her spear across the skeleton's leg. It obviously felt the pain, and, in a desperate attempt at counter attacking, swung its mace and hit Iam across the room. "ARRGH!"

"Iam!" Orizo rushed to her side, helping her up. "Is it strong?"

"Really strong," Iam wiped her lip of the blood. "Watch out for the mace guys!"

"JUK KRUZ!" Zaiten cast a spell, dodging the mace as it tried to catch him.

"RAI SMASH!" Gabriella brought her axe down on the monster, inflicting heavy damage, only to have the monster bat her off with his shield. "OW!"

"Gabriella!" Zaiten called. "I've got the last problem for you!"

"You're joking!" Gabriella coughed blood onto the floor from the blow. "A question at a time like this?"

"This one's worth fifty points!" Zaiten yelled, dodging another blow from the skeleton. "If you get it wrong you fail!"

"FINE!" she slashed the monster. "What is it!"

"x2 + y + 179 is equal to0!" he screamed. "Factor it!"

"That's dumb!" Gabriella called. "In Quadratic Equations, there is no "Y"!"

"Y is equal to this thing's HP!" Zaiten explained, giving it a quick slash, only to take a blow.

"Infinite!"

"It's HP after we Data Drain it!"

Gabriella looked at Zaiten, then at Chikoro, then Iam and Orizo and nodded. "C'mon guys, let's go! There's no way I'm failing this test!"

"RUE ZOT!" Orizo screamed.

"VAK WHIRLWIND!" Iam called, slashing the monster.

"RAI DON!" Chikoro called.

"JUK DIVIDER!" Zaiten screamed.

"ANI SMASH!" Gabriella finished the skill chain, and the monster crippled under the effects. Across it the words "PROTECT BREAK" flashed and the five nodded at one another. They held their hands out, their rings out stretched towards the Data Bug. They took a deep breath and screamed:

"RED, BLUE, YELLOW, GREEN, VIOLET DATA DRAIN!" The lights shot from their rings and the monster was rid of its hacking.

"Get it guys!" Gabriella called. With only a few slashes of their weapons, the team destroyed the monster. "Yes! We win!"

"Look!" Iam pointed to the ground where a core with an "O" sat. "A data core!"

Chikoro gently lifted the core, her ring glowing gold. She placed it in pack and smiled at the group. "Hey look, we all leveled up too!"

"I guess we were so excited we didn't notice," Iam laughed. "Hey, after Ryoko passes the make-up test, let's all go to Theta Server!"

"The test!" Gabriella's eyes opened wide. "Of course! That problem…let me see…it's max HP was 180 so…" she bit her lip and thought long and hard. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, she opened them and smiled. "x -179, x -1!"

"That's right! You did it!" Iam threw her arms around Gabriella, and Chikoro joined the dog pile. "You finally figured it out Gabriella!"

"Hey guys, let's get something to eat! I'm starved after that battle!" Gabriella laughed. "I need a full stomach if I want to get an A on that test tomorrow!"

* * *

"Ryoko, how'd you do?" Mai, Ayumi, Hiromi, and Souchriou had all stayed outside while Ryoko had taken the make-up test. Finally, she had come out, a paper in her hand. She looked extremely solemn. "Ryoko?" Mai asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

Ryoko looked up at them, her eyes hollow. She then grinned widely, "Can you say 95?"

"OH YEAH!" they all screamed and grabbed Ryoko around the shoulders and waist.

"Everyone, let's go get drinks, my treat!" Ryoko laughed. "For all you guys did for me to help me out."

"What were we supposed to do?" Ayumi giggled. "Let you flounder?"

"We're a team!" Mai insisted. "Team-mates don't leave each other behind!"

Ryoko looked at all four of them, and then smiled wide, giggling slightly. "I guess you're right! Team-mates don't leave each other behind, do they?"

"C'mon!" Mai laughed, patting Ryoko on the back. "Let's go get those drinks! We're going to hold you to your promise!"

And as the five walked off, Ryoko's test paper tucked safely into her pocket, they smiled and laughed with one another. Their team had become all the more united.

* * *

Yay! Finished Chapter 8! I hope you all enjoyed it! The ending sounded kind of weird though. Oo

Anyway, don't forget to review now!


	9. More Important

A/N's: Chapter 9 here and wow am I happy to be back:D Now that we're ready for the ninth chapter…well…LET'S START THE NINTH CHAPTER!

Chapter Nine: More Important

* * *

"Finally, you guys come here AFTER school." Mai, Hiromi, Ayumi, Souichirou and Ryoko had decided to stop by Start Button after school that Monday. Taking a break from their usual morning meetings with Sota and Fuko, the group had just arrived through the glass door, slightly disappointed to see the place packed with school kids playing games and looking at toys. Sota waved to them from behind the counter, "Don't worry, I saved you guys your usual seats."

"Do you work here all day?" Ayumi asked as the five settled into their rolling stools.

"Me and Fuko work every shift, plus overtime!" Sota grinned. "Except on Sundays, Thursdays, and Fridays that is."

"That's when we've got class," Fuko sighed, coming from the employee's only room with a huge box in her arms. "At Tokyo U."

"TOKYO U!" Mai asked, the entire group was flabbergasted. "You guys got into Tokyo U!"

"I mean, I would expect someone like Fuko to get in…" Hiromi whispered to Souichirou. "But Sota?"

"I heard that!"

"Woah…Tokyo U," Mai sat in her stool, dreamy eyed. "That's my dream school…"

"One of the top Universities in the country," Fuko smiled. "But, I bet you can make it in easy Mai."

"Thanks, that means a lot," Mai smiled.

"Enough of this dumb talk about college!" Ryoko insisted, eager to get off the topic of school. "Got anything new in?"

"Not since last week," Sota grinned. "But, I hear we're getting in new plus packs this Saturday."

"Plus Packs?" Mai asked. "What are those?"

"They're programs that allow you to create more then one character on your "The World" program," Fuko explained.

"Hmmm…I like my character," Hiromi said.

"We all do," added Ayumi. "Pretty useless for us."

"Oh well," Mai shrugged and looked around at the store. "My God, it's so packed!"

"It's always like this right around 3:45," Sota shrugged. "We close at 4:30, so the kids always rush in here at the last minute."

"I don't see anyone from our school," Ayumi looked around.

"Me neither," Ryoko shook her head. "Mostly Junior High kids here."

"Excuse me?" The group looked over to see a girl with long blonde hair accompanied by another girl. They were both wearing Junior High uniforms. Sota turned to them. "Hey! I'm here to pick up my order that I filed online?"

"Oh! Uhh…name?"

"Ryo-oki."

The group paused. "WHAT!" All of them except Ryoko yelled, staring at the girl.

"Y-you can't be!" Mai asked, her eyes wide. "Ryo-oki?"

"Huh?" Ryo-oki asked, slightly flabbergasted by the reaction.

"Who's this guys?" Ryoko asked, looking at the girl.

"A friend of ours," Hiromi explained. "At least…I think."

"Do…I know you?" Ryo-oki asked.

"Are you Ryo-oki, the one online?" Mai asked. "The one whose character class changes?"

"Umm…yeah, that's me!" Ryo-oki nodded. "I just used my name for my character. I guess you guys read the boards too?"

"It's us!" Ayumi told her, pointing around at the four of them. "Mai here is Iam, Hiromi-sama is Orizo, Souichirou is Zaiten and I'm Chikoro!" She looked at Ryoko. "This is Ryoko, or Gabriella, the newest one in our group."

"Woah! You guys are the ones with the--" Ryo-oki started to speak, only to be cut off my Mai's hand over her mouth.

"Shhh! We don't want anyone to know…" she whispered to Ryo-oki.

"Oh, I see," Ryo-oki nodded. "Don't want to get in trouble with the system admin, eh? Well, I guess introductions on my side are needed. I'm Ryo-oki, and this is my friend Mia."

"Hey," the other girl smiled at the five and they nodded back to her.

"Mia plays too – her character's name is Mia…ironic eh?" Ryo-oki laughed lightly. "That we both just used our real names."

"Hey!" Ayumi pointed to the two girls' uniforms. "You guys go to the Junior High a couple blocks from us."

"Huh?" Ryo-oki looked at their uniforms, as did Mia.

"You guys go to Makuchei?" Mia asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Weird!"

"What's so weird about Makuchei High?" Hiromi asked.

"Not that," Mia shook her head and smiled at Ryo-oki. "Hey Ryo-chan, do you remember Achean?"

"Achean?" Ryo-oki asked, then paused for a bit, as if wanting to place the name to memory. Finally, her eyes widened and she smiled. "Oh yeah! He was that super high level Blade Master who helped you get that armor piece, right?"

"Yeah," Mia nodded and turned to the group. "Achean was a friend of mine over "The World". He helped me and Ryo-oki out when we went looking for some rare armor in a high level dungeon."

"Did you say Achean?" Sota asked, and Fuko joined him by the counter, obviously interested. "You couldn't mean Achean of the Golden Dawn? _That_ Achean?"

"Yeah," Mia nodded to the two employees then returned to the confused ring-holders. "Achean was a super high level, and had beaten the "Bleak Night" Boss. He got rewarded with a load of GP and the title "Achean of the Golden Dawn"."

"So he was practically on par with Balmung of the Azure Sky and Orca of the Azure Sea?" Fuko asked and Mia turned to her.

"Well, he didn't get a rare character design, and he's not as famous. But definitely a recognizable player on "The World"." Mia's smile faded, "Until he quit about 6 months ago."

"Quit?" Ryoko asked loudly. "A guy that high in level, with all that money, and all that fame, just quitting like that!"

"Yeah…" Mia sighed. "Deleted his character and everything. He even sent everyone on his member address list an e-mail." She closed her eyes and gave a weary sigh, "It didn't say much, just: I'm leaving, don't ask me why, I probably won't see any of you again. Bye, Achean."

"Woah," Mai looked at Hiromi. "Strange, just quitting without telling anyone."

"I sent him a reply asking why, even though he told me not to," Mia frowned. "I got a "Did Not Connect" mail back. He really deleted his character."

"He was really bland too," Ryo-oki commented. "I didn't know him that well, but when Mia and I adventured with him, he didn't say much."

"So, what the heck does this have to do with the fact that we go to Makuchei High?" Ryoko asked, obviously annoyed with the long, seemingly pointless story.

"Well, that's just it," Mia smiled. "A few weeks ago, he started playing again! I saw him walking around Mac Anu and stopped him!"

"So he didn't quit after all!" Mai laughed. "Maybe that e-mail was a fluke."

"No, he was a low level," Mia shook her head. "He just started over again – refused to tell me the reason for the extended vacation."

"Still…what does this have to do with us?" Ryoko yawned.

"He's from America!" Mia told Ryoko, getting slightly annoyed. "And he's signed up for the Foreign Exchange program! He's starting tomorrow at Makuchei High!"

"Huh?" they all asked at once. "No way!"

"How ironic," Ryo-oki laughed. "Hey, maybe he can hang out with us too."

"What a coincidence," Souchriou commented. "Perhaps he can join us on "The World"."

"Hey, let's just wait until tomorrow!" Mai smiled. "Then we can meet him for ourselves!"

* * *

"You know…" Ayumi commented the next day as they all walked to school. "I still can't believe that Achean guy gave up all that!"

"All what?" Hiromi asked.

"The title, the armor, the weapons, the GP, the rare member addresses, everything!" Ayumi explained. "And now he's back! What's up with that?"

"Maybe he couldn't stay away," Mai chuckled.

"Sounds like a loser to me," Ryoko commented dryly. "And an American?"

"Yeah, but he'll have to speak Japanese to come to our school," Mai explained. "And I think Ryo-oki and Mia both speak English fluently."

"Unlike us…" Hiromi grumbled. "I can barely speak any. My junior high English lessons seem years away."

"I happen to be quite bilingual," Souchirou commented, his nose in the air. The others looked at him with raised eyebrows. "It's true! I speak Japanese, English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Chinese!"

"Woah!" Mai said, surprised. "How come you know all those languages?"

"Well, when my parents are as important as they are, I often find myself going to foreign countries on business trips with them," Souchirou explained. "Let me do the talking. I'm sure that the American boy will feel more comfortable with someone who knows his language."

The group finally arrived at the school gate, and decided to wait for the new student to arrive. "Do you think we'll have an assembly or something to welcome him?" Ayumi asked.

"I doubt it," Ryoko sighed. "If we do I'm going to puke. He's just a dumb foreigner."

"Well, if he doesn't hurry up he's going to be late," Mai pointed out, pointing to the school clock tower. "It's almost eight o' clock."

"I wonder…do you think he'll even show?" Hiromi asked. But the loud screeching of rubber on asphalt and the roar of an engine quickly answered him. Dust clouds, kicked up from the vehicle, filled the yard, and when the five of them opened their eyes and saw the dust clear, a black motorcycle stood in front of the school gate.

The driver was wearing the school uniform, a black jacket slung over his collared shirt. He turned off the ignition, stopping the roar of the cycle, and made a swift motion with his foot to lower the kickstand. He lazily got off the cycle and in a swift movement, removed his helmet and turned around.

The driver revealed himself to be very tall, about as tall as Ryoko, if not an inch higher. He had orange colored hair, a rare sight for the five teens, and a few freckles decorated his face. His hair was straight and swept just to the top of his ears. His eyes, colored a deep brown, were blank. Throwing off his jacket and depositing his helmet on the cycle's seat, he didn't bother to say hello to the group. After putting away his gear, he turned around and the group noticed black fingerless gloves on his hands. He stared blankly at them, grabbed his backpack from the back of the cycle, slung it over his shoulder, and walked straight past the five.

"Young man!" The yard dean called to the driver. "You can't park your motorcycle there! And I hope you're ready to pay for those skid marks!"

The young man looked at her blankly, and then cocked his head and sighed. "Me no speak Japanese."

The teacher blinked, then realized her error. "Oh my! I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were the new foreign exchange student! I'll get our translator right away! I apologize for snapping at you! Umm…you can't understand a word I'm saying, can you?" He looked at her blankly and she quickly ran off.

"So THAT'S Achean, huh?" Ryoko asked, leaning against the gate. "He looks like a bit of an idiot, but he's got a sweet ride."

"Thanks." The group looked up to see the driver turned around and seemingly speaking to them. They blushed and stared at him. He didn't say another word.

"Was it him?" Mai whispered.

"No way," Hiromi shook his head. "He can't understand what we're saying."

"Let me handle this!" Souchirou stepped forward towards the young man and stuck out his hand. The other boy didn't move. **"Hello, I'm Souchirou Hibiki of Hibiki Games! Perhaps you've heard of me? I'm here to help your transition into Makuchei much smoother! Please, feel free to ask any questions you'd like!"** (The bold text is English.)

The driver looked at him, then raised his eyebrows. "No thanks, loser."

With that, he walked into the school, leaving a blank Souchirou (his jaw resting comfortably on the ground) behind.

"What the…?" Mai asked, her eyes wide. "That SNEAK! He speaks perfect Japanese!"

"Now this guy I like," Ryoko smirked. "C'mon, let's go after him!"

* * *

"Hey! HEY!" Ryoko called in the hall after the red-haired boy. He stopped and turned around to face her. She caught up with him and smiled. "Hey, I saw you back there! Making the dean think you were some dumb foreigner! Work of genius!" She held up her hand for the driver to slap, but he remained stoic. She finally lowered her hand, her eyebrow cocked. "What's your problem, Yankee?"

"None of your business," he answered.

"What homeroom are you in?" Mai asked pleasantly.

"None of your business."

"What's your name?" Hiromi asked, a little edgy.

"None of your business."

"Then what IS our business?" Ayumi shouted.

"Nothing," he said, and then started to turn and walk away.

"HEY, wait!" Mai called after him, but he refused to answer.

"Jerk…" Ryoko chewed the inside of her mouth. "C'mon, forget him. Let's go to class before we're late."

* * *

"Hello everyone!" greeted Kirisawa-sensei, teacher of Japanese History, the five's first class that morning. "We're all very lucky today."

"Oh goody, you're not teaching," Ryoko said sarcastically and the class laughed. Kirisawa-sensei looked at her disapprovingly.

"It's that kind of attitude that'll upset our guest," Kirisawa-sensei scowled. "Class, we are lucky enough to be having Makuchei's foreign exchange student with us today! He'll be in our class starting today and ending in early July. At Summer break, he'll be leaving to journey back to the United States." (Summer break is later at Makuchei then it is in America.)

"Oh no…" Mai whispered to Hiromi. "It can't be…"

"It is," Hiromi grumbled.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Sean McGuire."

And in walked the driver, wearing the same stoic frown as before. He still had his gloves on, and carried his backpack over his shoulder lazily. He stood in the front of class, staring at the many curious faces in the room. "Sean, would you like to say anything about yourself?" Kirisawa-sensei asked.

"No, can I sit down?" Sean asked. Kirisawa-sensei, taken aback, nodded and Sean sat down in an empty seat next to Ryoko.

"Umm…as I was saying…Sean will need a guide for the day. Would anyone like to accompany him?" The room was silent. Kirisawa-sensei looked around for an unwilling volunteer.

"Not us, not us, not us…" Mai whispered, her fingers crossed.

"Ahhh! Mai, how about your group of friends?"

"Why is it always us?" Ayumi asked bitterly.

"Because if it wasn't, the story wouldn't advance at all…" Mai grumbled and laid her head down on her desk.

* * *

"Anyway…" Mai grumbled. "This is the library."

"And this is the administrative office," Souchirou said.

"And over there's the gym," Ayumi explained.

"And the computer lab," Hiromi pointed.

"And the "Get away from us you jerk" room is right down here," Ryoko pointed down to the floor, staring at Sean with fierce eyes. She was obviously very annoyed with him, as he had been silent all day.

"Where do I eat my lunch?" He lifted a paper sack and the group looked at it oddly.

"What's that?" Mai asked.

"My lunch, I just said that," Sean said.

"Why isn't it in a box?" Ayumi asked.

"A box?" Sean asked. "That's dumb."

"Well sorry our lunch is dumb!" Ryoko snapped. "I guess you won't want to eat with us then."

"Not in particular."

"Well fine!" Ryoko snapped once more, grabbing her box lunch from her locker and slamming it violently. "I guess I'll just go and eat my "dumb box lunch" without you!" She stomped away, obviously loathing Sean.

"Sorry about Ryoko," Mai apologized. "She's…uhh…"

"It's okay," Sean shrugged. "I am being a jerk."

The group was silent for a moment, dumbstruck that Sean had just admitted his nasty behavior. "Then…why don't you apologize?" Hiromi suggested.

"I can't help it," Sean shrugged once more. "Can I eat lunch with you?"

"B-but you just said you didn't--" Mai started.

"I know, but I was being a jerk."

"Why are you being a jerk?" Ayumi asked.

"Tell you later," Sean said, and quickly started to walk out the door after Ryoko. "If you let me eat lunch with you, I'll share my chili dog."

"Huh?" Hiromi asked. "What's a chili dog?"

"If you don't let me eat lunch with you, you'll never find out." The others looked at each other, then ran outside to catch Sean and Ryoko.

* * *

"THAT'S a chili dog?" Mai asked, looking at the hot dog with chili and cheese stuffed inside. "It looks revolting!"

"It tastes good," Sean shrugged. "Unlike your Japanese food."

"Uhh… "Jerk alarm"," Ayumi whispered. Ryoko was fuming in the corner.

Sean had remained stoic all day – everything he said was monotone and flat. He wasn't very interesting, but he was a curiosity that the four couldn't get enough of. After orange hair and chili dogs, what else might come out of Sean?

"What are those?" Ayumi asked, looking at Sean as he pulled out a bag with English writing on it.

"Pops," Sean said. "It's a sweet."

"Can I have some?" Ayumi asked, holding out her hand. Sean put a crystal into her hand and she popped it into her mouth. "Yum! It tastes so good! And it actually pops in your mouth!"

"No way!" Mai laughed. "Give me some!"

"And me!" Hiromi held out his hand.

"Anything that Ayumi-sama likes must be good," Souchirou also held out his hands for a piece. Sean passed out one to each of them, and they all sucked the sweet flavor until the candy popped in their mouth.

"Do you want some?" Sean asked Ryoko stoically.

"No!" Ryoko snapped. "I don't want any of your disgusting American candy!"

"Come on Ryoko, it's good!" Mai insisted, pushing her forward. "Have some!"

Ryoko looked at Sean with a grudgingly defeated look and put out her hand. "I'm just doing what Mai asked me to." He put a candy in her hand and she put it in her mouth. "Hey…this is actually pretty good…"

"I can bring more tomorrow…" Sean said, turning his face away and popping open a can of cola. "Here…you can have this." He passed Ryoko the rest of the package and began to drink.

"Huh, don't you want it?" Ryoko asked.

"No, I'm fine."

"Come on!" Ryoko turned him around and took a candy. "Say "ahhh"!"

Sean looked at her and opened his mouth slightly. She popped the candy in and he turned his face away once again. "See, it's good!"

"You can have the rest," Sean said briskly, still hiding his face and stuffing the package into Ryoko's hand. "I have more at home anyway."

"So…uhh…Sean," Mai smiled, and brought up the subject that she had wanted to bring up for a while now. "We met a friend of yours yesterday named Mia!"

Sean paused. "I don't know anyone named Mia…"

"An online friend!" Ayumi explained. "Remember her?"

Sean paused again, as if searching his memory, even though his eyes were blank. "Oh…her, yeah, we're friends…"

"She said that you play "The World", is that correct?" Souchirou asked.

"Uhh…yeah," Sean nodded.

"And she also said that your character's named Achean," Hiromi said.

"Yeah."

"Oh please!" Ryoko snapped, making everyone turn towards her. "Let's just get to the dang point! Mia said you used to be a super high level player and then you just quit for no reason! Why give up all that stuff?"

"Yeah!" Ayumi nodded. "It seems like a total waste!"

"I know that if I had a character that high level and that famous, I wouldn't want to just delete it," Hiromi reasoned.

"You had a title and everything!" Mai told him. "And you wouldn't tell anyone why you quit!"

"So, the point we're trying to make here," Souchirou said, putting his hand on Sean's shoulder. "Is…"

"Why in the world did you quit?" they all asked at once, backing Sean into the tree they were eating under.

"Umm…space?" Sean asked, and they all backed off. He sat up and sighed. "Look, it's really none of your business."

"But we play "The World" too!" Mai insisted. "And since you're our friend now, we really are interested in knowing!"

Sean paused, stared at them all, and then shook his head and stood up. "You wouldn't understand…"

"Hey, Sean! Wait up!" Ryoko called to him. He stopped and turned around.

"Look…let's play this afternoon at 4:30," Sean sighed. "Cool?"

"Uhh…okay," Mai nodded. "My username's Iam."

"I'm Orizo," Hiromi pointed to himself.

"Chikoro," Ayumi nodded.

"Zaiten," Souchirou said.

"And…and I'm Gabriella," Ryoko murmured. "Are you going to tell us why you quit?"

"Look, I said you wouldn't understand," Sean insisted, and the group was shocked to hear a slight bit of anger in his voice. "Just leave me alone." And with that, he walked swiftly away; the only remnants of him remaining with them was the small plastic bag of Pops candy sitting in Ryoko's hand.

* * *

Mai quickly got home and headed to her computer. When she got to her desktop, she noticed a few new e-mails. The first one was from Orizo, the next from Gabriella, and the next from Achean, who had neglected to put in a picture as his e-mail avatar.

* * *

Subject: About Sean

Sender: Orizo

Sean was kind of strange, don't you think? He was a jerk around Ryoko, but didn't say why. Weird, huh? Not only that, but he refused to tell us why he quit the game! I'm so curious, it's killing me!

Orizo

* * *

Subject: Re: About Sean

Sender: Iam

Hmm…I guess. Maybe there's something he's not telling us.

Iam

* * *

She quickly opened the next mail.

* * *

Subject: Pops…

Sender: Gabriella

Do you think they sell Pops in Japan? They were actually really good…

Gabriella

* * *

Subject: Re: Pops…

Sender: Iam

Heh! Let's see if they do! I bet you could order them from America too!

Iam

* * *

She finally opened the mail from Achean.

* * *

Subject: Explanation

Sender: Achean

Come to**Theta Drifting Moving Hill Side. **I've invited everyone except Gabriella.

Achean

* * *

"Except Ryoko?" Mai asked, her eyebrow quirked. "I wonder why… Hey!" She smiled. "Maybe he's going to tell us why he quit!"

She clicked on her "The World" icon and saw that there was a new board message. It was marked, "Another Protected Area".

* * *

Subject: Another Protected Area

Poster: Kiaku

OMG! My favorite area's been blocked! I can't believe it! I'm canceling my subscription if this doesn't stop right away!

The area was**Theta Handsome Firing Phoenix! **Get it back online or else!

"A protected area?" Mai asked herself. "Crud! Better make the meeting with Achean short!"

She quickly logged into "The World".

* * *

Iam materialized to see Orizo, Chikoro, and Zaiten all waiting near the Chaos gate for her with grim looks on their faces. "Gabriella hasn't logged on yet," Orizo said. "Quick – let's get to that area fast! Then high tail it to**Theta Handsome Firing Phoenix.**"

"Right," Iam nodded. "Quick! Let's head to Dun Loireag!"

* * *

Soon, the group arrived at the Highland City of Dun Loireag, courtesy of the Chaos Gate in Mac Anu. The group had never been outside the Delta server, and was quite impressed with the entire scope of the town. "Woah!" Chikoro gasped. "It's amazing! Look, a stray Grunty!"

"Chikoro!" Iam scolded. "There's no time for sight-seeing! We've got to go meet Achean!"

"R-right," Chikoro nodded. "What was the area again?"

"**Theta** **Drifting Moving Hill Side!" **Iam yelled, and the four were whisked away towards the area.

* * *

"Hey…you made it…" The group swiftly warped into the area only to hear a low voice speaking to them. They turned their heads, wondering where the voice had come from. "I'm over here." The group swiveled their heads to see a male blade master staring at them.

He had tan skin, long orange hair to his shoulders, an armored short piece on his legs, boots, and a blade sheath on his back. His chest was bare, and his body was decorated with orange sections. (Note: This is Bear's or Orca's character design, only with orange instead of blue and his hair has bangs.) He waved to them and shook his long hair.

"Hey, Achean, we've got to get out of here soon," Iam said. "We've…uh…got something to do!"

"I thought we were going to level…" Achean said. "I planned on getting Gabriella after I've said my piece."

"Umm…yeah, but…we've got to--"

"Look, I don't care whether you leave after or not," Achean said. "But I've got to tell you why I was being a jerk today…it's only fair." Achean sighed, and looked up at them, his face still stoic. "I…I was only a jerk around Gabriella."

"So…since Gabriella's not here, you're going to tell us why you quit?" Orizo asked hopefully.

"No…" Achean said, sweatdropping at their persistence. "Will you let me finish?"

"Uhh…sure…"

"Anyway," he continued. "I was only a jerk around Gabriella."

"Yeah, so?" Chikoro asked.

"The truth is…" Achean looked up. "I'm always a jerk around girls who I think are pretty."

"…" There was a silence. "YOU DRAGGED US ALL THE WAY HERE TO TELL US THAT!" Chikoro exclaimed, ready to blow her halo right off her head. "WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU!"

"Sorry."

"SORRY DOESN'T CUT IT!"

"Sorry, sorry."

"SAYING IT AGAIN DOESN'T HELP!"

"I just thought you should know…" Achean shrugged.

"So…you have a crush on Gabriella?" Orizo asked.

"Yeah. But she hates me."

"I know the feeling my good man," Zaiten put his hand consolingly on Achean's shoulder.

"I don't think she does," Iam winked and Achean looked up. "She seems to like you more then she lets on. Why don't you ask her out?"

"…" Achean was silent. "I don't do "asking out"."

The group fell over. "You're so stubborn!" Chikoro snapped.

"Huh?" A small "ding" sounded above Iam's head. "Oh…I've got a message. I'll just read it right now…one sec…" She paused, then her eyes widened. "Guys! This is bad! Gabriella read the board message and went to**Theta Handsome Firing Phoenix!"**

"But that's impossible!" Zaiten exclaimed. "I'm the only one who can hack the gates!"

"She says that the gate was open!" Iam exclaimed. "And she assumed we had gone before her! She's fighting a Data Bug right now!"

"Damn," Orizo cursed. "The Prism Players must have opened the gate to lure her in! We've got to go save her!"

"But…what about…" Iam turned toward Achean.

"Achean, stay be--"

"I'll go," Achean shrugged.

"WHAT!" they all screamed.

"Look, I don't know about all this "Prism Player" and "Gate Hacking" crud…" he said. "But I do know that Gabriella's in trouble, so shouldn't we go and save her?"

"Achean…" Iam murmured, and then nodded. "Right, let's go!"

* * *

"Okay, Achean, don't get freaked out or anything, okay?" Chikoro asked, handing the necessary cores to Zaiten. "Zaiten's going to hack the gates."

"Him, get freaked out?" Orizo asked. "You're joking, right?"

"Ready!" Zaiten nodded. "GATE HACKING!" Once again, the flurry of activity and flying codes, the gate was hacked. "JUMP THROUGH!" Zaiten commanded, and the group did as they were told, jumping through the light that the hack had made. Achean jumped last into the light, only to be followed by Zaiten as he closed the portal.

* * *

Soon, they arrived at the area, a hot one full of magma and discarded data. "Crud!" Iam bit her lip. "I bet Gabriella is already trying to fend off the Prism Players! We have to go and rescue her!"

"There's no way we can make it in time…" Orizo cursed under his breath.

"Oh, you can't, can you?" The group looked up to see none other then Kalen flying over them, eyes smiling through his black goggles. "'sup?"

"How'd you get here?" Iam asked.

"I jumped in after you," Kalen smiled. "I can hide my presence, remember?"

"Who's this guy?" Achean asked and Kalen looked down at him.

"Another ring holder?"

"No, just a friend," Iam told him.

"Well, I can transport you to where Miss Gabriella is fighting," Kalen told them, punching a few keys on his keyboard. "There! Bye guys, good luck!"

"H-hey, wait a minute, where are yo--" But Chikoro didn't get a chance to finish before all five were warped away.

* * *

They all landed swiftly upon a dungeon floor and looked up to the sounds of metal on metal. As their heads swiveled, they saw Gabriella, desperately slashing her ax against a green flaked Mu Guardian. Her health was low, and she looked as though she couldn't take much more. "Guys!" she called. "You came!"

"Of course we came! Repth!" Chikoro cast a quick spell, recovering Gabriella. "Quick, form parties you guys!"

Chikoro and Iam joined Ryoko's party while Achean, Orizo, and Zaiten formed another. "Achean, attack the monster!"

"All right." No questions asked, Achean lunged at the monster, slicing it with his blade. The others followed suit, working it down until finally the words "PROTECT BREAK" flashed across the screen.

"Okay, guys! Let's do it!" Iam commanded, and the five held out their rings.

"RED, BLUE, YELLOW, GREEN, VIOLET DATA DRAIN!" The lights flew from the rings, pelting the monster and destroying the green flakes. "Get it!"

The six lunged at the monster, quickly disposing of it with their magic and steel. It fell to the ground and the group exchanged hugs and high fives, except for Sean of course, who remained to himself. "I'm so relieve you're okay!" Chikoro said to Gabriella. "Luckily, that bug was pretty easy!"

"Oh…it was, was it?" a smooth male voice came from the corner of the room, and the group drew their weapons once again, ready to face some action. "I'm hurt… But, because I'm impressed that you were able to beat my bug, I guess I'll introduce myself."

A figure appeared from the shadows, once again levitating in the air. He was a wave master with a white hat, white colored hair that went to his shoulders, and white markings on his tan colored face. He was wearing white robes with long white sleeves and gloves. His boots matched the entire outfit's color scheme. Light grayish markings decorated his entire outfit, and he held a double pointed staff with a white orb in the middle. (This is Tsukasa's (Elk's) design modified.) He was smiling at them with a wide grin on his face.

"Another Prism Player I assume…" Iam growled.

"You assume correct, little lady," the young man smiled, giving a small bow with his hat. "My name is Tikairo, and I'm the seventh Prism Player. Pleased to meet you."

"Well, we've beaten your bug," Gabriella boasted. "Why don't you go and run off to your little friends?"

"But if I did that I would miss the whole show!" Tikairo laughed. "You really think this is over? Please!" He raised his staff and screamed, "SUMMON DATA BUGS!" Out from the shadows, two identical Mu Guardian Data Bugs flew at the six, stopping just in front of them.

"Two!" Chikoro backed away. "That's cheating!"

"Please!" Tikairo laughed. "Cheating my ass! You're the ones at fault! You underestimated me!" He smirked in their direction, his eyes shining with evil resolve. "You see, I'm not like the others you've fought. I'm not rash and hot-headed. I only go into a fight if I know that I can win!"

"So you don't like to take risks I assume…" Orizo growled.

"Risks? I don't know the meaning of the word!" Tikairo cackled. "It's called strategy little boy! I've studied your powers, and I know for a fact that you can't take down my double data bugs!"

"Oh yeah?" Iam asked, unsheathing her spear and pointing it at the first Mu Guardian. "WATCH US!"

"Orizo, your party, attack that one!" Gabriella pointed to the other Mu Guardian. "Iam, Chikoro, and I will handle this one!"

"Right!" Orizo nodded and the three rushed in against the Mu Guardian.

"C'mon girls!" Gabriella rallied. "Get it!" The girls started working on their own data bug, Chikoro healing both parties and throwing damage spells.

"With only three of us, this is no picnic!" Orizo screamed. "This bug is tough!"

"Struggle all you want!" Tikairo laughed. "It'll do you no good!"

"Hey…I've been meaning to ask," Achean brought up. "How come this thing's HP is all strange?"

"That guy up there is a hacker!" Iam explained. "Data Bugs can't be defeated until we protect break them and then Data Drain them with our rings!" She showed him her ring. "See?"

"Oh…I get it," he nodded and sliced at the Mu Guardian with his sword. The words "PROTECT BREAK" flashed above it. "Should you guys Data Drain it now?"

"Right!" Iam nodded. "Guys, GO!" They all ran over to the first guardian and readied their rings. "ONE, TWO, THREE!"

"RED, BLUE, YELLOW, GREEN, VIOLET DATA DRAIN!" The data flakes disappeared from the first Mu Guardian!

"Yes!" Gabriella cheered. "C'mon guys, let's get – what the hell?" The Mu Guardian, only a second after being Data Drained, grew its flakes back, and its HP was returned to the strange symbols!

"Is that bad?" Achean asked.

"Hahahaha!" The group looked up to see Tikairo rolling in the air from laughter. He was holding his sides and looked as though he was about to cry. "You're all so dumb! I told you before, you can't beat my double data bugs!"

"That's impossible!" Iam exclaimed. "How did that Mu Guardian become hacked again? We data drained it with the most powerful attack!"

"I've told you before!" Tikairo smirked. "It's called strategy! You can't Data Drain both at the same time! And if one becomes drained…" he smiled wickedly. "The other will modify its partner's data."

"How the heck are we supposed to beat it?" Iam screamed.

"What…are we going to do?" Chikoro bit her lip and scared at the two guardians. "There's no way we can Data Drain them both at the same time, and if we divide our drains, they might not be powerful enough!"

"There is no way we can win…" Zaiten admitted.

"Guys, wait!" Gabriella called, and the four looked up at her. She had extended he thumb in the "thumb's up position" and was showing her ring. "Don't give up! Remember, your rings all have a special power, right?"

"Right…" Iam nodded. "But none of them will help."

"But mine has the character for "More" in it!" Gabriella smirked. "Perhaps mine can Data Drain two bugs at the same time!"

"What?" Tikairo screamed and the six looked up at him. Gabriella gave a defiant smile.

"That's right buster! Seems your plan's gone down the drain!" She held out her thumb. "With this, your bugs are going down!"

"I…" Tikairo stopped, and then smiled widely. "You fool! You think that ONE ring is enough to beat my bugs! You're joking!"

"Crap…" Gabriella bit her lip. "He's right! There's no way that one ring alone could beat those bugs!"

"GABRIELLA, WATCH OUT!" Iam screamed as the two Mu Guardians flew at Gabriella. She had only a split second to look before the impact came.

WHAM! The next thing anyone knew, Achean had been knocked to the ground by the two Mu Guardian's force. He had lost more then half his HP and was bleeding in his abdomen.

"ACHEAN!" They all ran to him, Gabriella grabbing his head and holding him up.

"You idiot!" Gabriella cried. "You could've been killed!"

"It…doesn't hurt…" he breathed deeply. "A lot…"

"It must be affecting him in real life," Iam grimaced. "Just like if you lose all your HP you go into a coma…"

"Who are you?" Tikairo asked Achean, staring at him. "You don't have a ring – you have no business here."

"I'm…Achean," he panted and Tikairo's eyes widened.

"Achean! Achean of the Golden Dawn! You're one of the most powerful players in "The World"! You would have been easily able to break my Guardian's shields!"

"Actually…I'm not Achean of the Golden Dawn anymore…" Achean told him. "I deleted that character…this one's just Achean!"

Tikairo paused, a look of slight shock on his face. He stared at his shoes, his hair covering his eyes. And then…a low chuckle started to echo through the room. It grew louder, and louder, as if bouncing off the walls like you would bounce a ball off of the pavement. It echoed stronger and stronger, until it finally turned into a maniacal cackle. "FOOL!" he screamed and looked at Achean with a hateful stare. "You really are a fool! Deleting all that power? All that glory? You had "The World" in the palm of your hand and you threw it away! You make me sick!" Tikairo smirked again. "Remember my talk on strategy and how I don't go into a battle unless I know I can win? Well you could go into practically any battle and win if you still had Achean of the Golden Dawn! But instead, you deleted him and now are reduced to a weakling!"

Achean was on the floor, looking at the dark, red tinted ash that covered the ground. He wasn't saying a word. "HAH! You know it's true! You're a weakling and a fool!"

"Actually…" The group gasped to see Achean lift himself to his feet using his sword as a balance. He looked at Tikairo, and smirked defiantly. "You're the fool!"

"What?"

"There are things more important to me then power or glory!" Achean insisted. "I jumped in front of Gabriella because I realized that my safety was less important then hers! Power and stability on this game was never as important to me as my friends, family, or real life!" He clenched his left hand and held his wound with the other. "Only weaklings idolize power like that!"

"HOW DARE YOU!" Tikairo screamed. "KILL HIM GUARDIANS!"

"Achean…" Everything in the room froze as a serene and feeble voice rung through the chamber. They all swiveled their heads, looking for its speaker, and when their eyes rested at the very top of the room, they saw none other then Prisma standing in front of them, staring at the group of six. She lowered herself down until she was on level with Achean. "Achean, take this…" she pressed her hand to Achean's left thumb, causing a soft light to glow. When it faded, an orange ring with the character for "Enhance" was left on his finger. "You are the sixth Prism Hacker…use this ring to help what is most important to you."

Achean stared at Prisma, then nodded. "I will." Prisma smiled, felt his cheek, and then disappeared into a black and violet colored light.

"Another ring!" Tikairo screamed. "It will do you no good!"

"Gabriella…" Achean called to her and she stood up. "If my Japanese serves me right, my ring says "Enhance" on it. Perhaps it'll enhance the special power of your ring."

"Right!" Gabriella nodded. "Everyone! Break their shields, then Achean and I will do our thing!"

"Go!" The six rushed into battle once more, their confidence renewed and their hope restored. Finally, the two Guardians flashed the words, PROTECT BREAK, and the six jumped back.

"Ready, Gabriella, Achean?" Iam asked and the two nodded.

"Let's go Achean…" Gabriella gulped, holding out her ring.

"Right," he nodded, holding out his as well. The two looked at each other, nodded, and then faced the two guardians.

"VIOLET, ORANGE DATA DRAIN! DRAIN ARC ENHANCEMENT!" The lights shown from their rings, shining on the two guardians and melting away their flakes.

"Get 'em!" Gabriella commanded, and the two groups ran in against the monsters, easily destroying them. Tikairo flew at the top of the room, amazed to see that they had been able to defeat his full proof strategy.

"N-no…this…this is impossible!" Tikairo insisted, shaking his head. "My strategy was full proof!"

"Oh, Tikairo, shut up…" A familiar voice came from the shadows, and Iam and Orizo's ears perked up. From the back of the room, steps came and the six turned swiftly around to see none other then Moyotu walking into the room, her sword still balanced perfectly on her back, a bored expression on her face. "I told you this plan wouldn't work. It was only a matter of time before they received the ring of enhancement."

"B-but Moyotu!" Tikairo insisted.

"C'mon, the others are waiting," she snapped. "Now go." Tikairo lowered his head and disappeared in a shining of yellow rings.

Iam and Orizo faced Moyotu, grim expressions on their faces. She didn't leave, she only looked at them.

"Who's that?" Gabriella asked in a whispered tone.

"Moyotu…" Iam growled.

"What's with the expression?" Moyotu asked, sounding hurt. "I thought we were friends! You still have me on your member address list right?"

"Shut up!" Orizo screamed. "You betrayed us and have hurt innocent players!"

"Betrayal? Don't talk to me about betrayal," Moyotu snarled. "Look, I really don't want to hurt you. Stay out of our way, or else." She looked at Iam and smiled. "Hey, Iam! Same goes for you!" She waved, and with a flash of a few golden rings, she gated out of the area.

"Well…I guess another adventure's over," Iam sighed. "Didn't expect to see Moyotu again."

"Achean?" Gabriella spoke softly and he turned his head around to face her. "Thanks…for stepping in like that to save me."

"No problem," he said, blushing lightly.

"Hey, but you mentioned," Chikoro brought up, "how you quit because some things are more important!"

"Yes, that is true," Zaiten nodded. "What did you mean by that?"

"Well," Achean sighed. "I guess…I should tell you." He looked up at them and gave a heavy sigh. "I quit because my grandfather got cancer."

"What?" Gabriella asked, shocked.

"At first…" Achean continued, "I played the game and tried to take care of him. But I got so guilty…I felt I wasn't giving him my all, so I quit." He shrugged. "I did my absolute best to look after him. My grandma's dead, and my parents had to work so I was all he had…"

"Achean…" Iam whispered.

"Wh-what happened to your Grandpa?" Chikoro asked.

Achean paused, looking at his feet. He didn't speak; he just stood there, and finally, sheathed his blade. He threw his head up, and for the first time, the five of his companions saw a genuine smile from his lips and bright eyes shining. "He came through!" He laughed. "He actually came through! Everyone said he was going to die, but he didn't! That's why I don't regret my decision," Achean smiled at them. "A level is just a number, armor and weapons are just pixels! There are things more important."

"But you'd better not go quitting on us now!" Chikoro laughed.

"Of course not," Achean nodded. "This seems pretty important, so I'll definitely be sticking with you guys. After all," he shrugged. "I'm staying here for at least three more months."

"Good to have you Yankee!" Ryoko laughed, throwing her arm around Achean. He blushed lightly and looked at Iam and the others. Iam smiled brightly and gave him a wink.

"Gabriella," Achean pulled away and turned his back on Gabriella. His voice retained its coolness. "If you want, I can give you a ride on my motorcycle and we can go to a store that sells Pops."

"Really?" Gabriella asked. "Awesome!"

"Come on guys!" Iam laughed. "Maybe we can get some actual playing in before our next adventure comes along!"

* * *

End of Chapter 9

Did you all enjoy it? Do you like Sean/Achean? We need some American pride in this story! (laughs) Anyway! Everyone says I have colorful characters, and although Sean is rather stoic, I find that his bland personality and his other traits make him a colorful character as well. So now I have…

Mai: Heroine

Hiromi: Hero

Ayumi: Energy

Souchirou: Dramatic Comic Relief

Ryoko: Bad-Ass

Sean: Stoic Cold Personality

You won't believe the next people I've got in line! (laughs) They're quite a boat load!

Anyway! R&R!


	10. Slumber Party

Hey everyone, what's shaking? Heh, sorry for the lame intro. Anyway – here we are with chapter 10 of Log On! Finally to the double digits! (Speaking of which – this fic might be around 25 chapters long or so…eeks…)

Note: I'm such a dolt. Souchirou's name is SO hard to spell that I've probably been spelling it differently every chapter! I'm so sorry for this mistake and I promise that it shall be remedied! From now on I'll spell his name correctly: Souchirou.

Another Note: A HORRIBLE mistake has been made that has been pointed out to me by Steeple33! I now award him/her with the "Haha, I Helped the Author Remember Something" Award!

(drums roll)

Anyway! Mia in the last chapter is not the Mia in the game, but an original character belonging to SailorStar165! Just to make that clear!

Anyway – I want to thank all the reviewers so far; I appreciate your reviews very much!

NOW! Onto the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 10 – Slumber Party

"MAAI!" Mai jumped back as a hand slammed her locker door shut with great force, making a giant CLANG! sound. Mai looked up at whoever had slammed the door shut to see Ayumi smiling in her direction. "Hey!"

"Ayumi!" Mai cried. "You nearly scared me to death!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Ayumi laughed.

"What do you want?" Mai asked, opening her locker again to retrieve her books, only to have Ayumi shut it once more.

"I'm having a slumber party at my house this weekend!" Ayumi told her. "A lot of the girls from the cheer squad will be there, along with Ryoko. Want to come?"

"I've never been to a slumber party before…" Mai mumbled.

"Man! What rock did you grow up under?" Ayumi asked, wrinkling her nose. "It'll be really fun! We can watch TV, eat popcorn, talk about movie stars, you know! Girl stuff!"

Mai looked warily at Ayumi, who was still smiling widely. "Sure…I'll come."

"Yay!" Ayumi jumped up and down. "The party's on Saturday at 8:30! Don't be late!"

"I won't, I won't," Mai snarled, opening her locker once again.

"Oh! And one more thing!" Ayumi smirked and leaned close next to Mai. "We'll be playing Truth or Dare."

"What?" Mai asked, stepping back. Ayumi took her hand and promptly slammed the locker shut once more.

"Just kidding!" she laughed at the fuming Mai and ran down the hall, doing a cartwheel or back flip every now and then.

* * *

"I feel dumb." Ryoko and Mai were outside Ayumi's house that Saturday night with their sleeping bags. Ryoko had come grudgingly, her black sleeping bag under her arm, her torn violet shirt and ripped black jeans hanging loose on her hips and shoulders. "This is dumb." Ryoko repeated.

"Maybe it'll be fun!" Mai insisted. She herself had dressed in a white top and red skirt, her crimson colored sleeping bag under her arm, along with her pajamas. "Ayumi said that some girls from the cheer squad would be there."

"And that's a pro because?" Ryoko asked. "If they're anything like Ayumi, this party is going to be hell."

"Hey…" Mai stopped as the two both hesitated to ring the doorbell. She peered down at Ryoko's black jeans, and noticed a shining belly chain attached around the belt loop. "What's that? I've never seen you wear that before."

"Oh, this?" Ryoko motioned to the chain and Mai nodded. "Sean gave it to me."

"Sean?" Mai asked.

"Yeah," Ryoko nodded, shrugging her shoulders. "He says it's an "American Chain", but I can't tell the difference between the Japanese and the American ones." Ryoko stopped as well, peering at Mai's hair, in which she finally noticed an accessory. "What's that in your hair?"

"Oh this?" Mai pointed to her hair, blushing. She pulled the shining accessory out to reveal a hairpin, colored light red with a tiny jewel on it. "Hiromi gave it to me. He said it was an early birthday present."

"I see," Ryoko smirked, nudging Mai with her elbow. "Did he give you a kiss with that pin?"

"N-no!" Mai blushed as red as her sleeping bag, then hastily rung the doorbell.

A few seconds later, Ayumi, dressed in a canary yellow tank top and matching pajama pants, threw open the door, greeting the two. "Hey guys! Welcome to the party! C'mon in, the girls are waiting!"

"Uhh…coming!" Mai walked into Ayumi's house after her, Ryoko following begrudgingly at her tail. They walked through the hall until they finally reached a door that read "Ayumi's Room!" and Ayumi threw it open.

"Hey guys!" Ayumi called to the three girls in the room. "Mai and Ryoko are here!" The three looked up, and Mai knew almost instantly who they were. "Guys, you know Misaki, Kisaki, and Nisaki, right?"

"Hi!" The three girls said simultaneously, waving.

"Not the Isaki Clique," Ryoko groaned inwardly to Mai. The Isakis were three very popular girls on the cheer squad who dressed alike, looked alike, even had names that sounded the same. Each of them had straight brown hair, separated in two braids. Misaki wore pink pajamas, Kisaki wore green pajamas, and Nisaki wore blue pajamas. By there sides were matching pom-poms.

"What's up?" Misaki asked, getting up.

"We're totally pumped--" Kisaki started.

"That you came!" Nisaki finished, and Mai and Ryoko sweatdropped.

"Uhh, should we get changed Ayumi?" Mai asked, desperate to be away from the three girls.

"Sure, the bathrooms right over there!" Ayumi pointed. "Feel free to leave your clothes on top of the sink!"

* * *

"OH MY GOD, THEY'RE CHANGING! SHUT IT OFF SOUCHIROU!"

"I'm very sorry that I was not able to plant the camera on Ayumi-sama or I would have gotten to see her--"

"IF YOU FINISH THAT SENTENCE--"

Click!

"Sean!" Souchirou turned around, only to have his eyeglasses knocked off his face by a cluster of leaves. He caught them just before they hit the ground. Sean had just flicked off what looked like a laptop. "What did you do that for?"

"I'm no pervert," Sean said, leaning back against the trunk of the tree.

Yes, all three boys, Hiromi, Souchirou, and Sean, were in a tree. But not just any tree, the tree that was just outside Ayumi's house. With Souchirou's most advanced laptop, they were watching the party from the inside on the screen, all three of them dressed in all black sweaters, pants, and sock hats. Souchirou had even completed the look with black face-paint.

"I can't believe you talked me into this!" Hiromi rasped. "This is so perverted!"

"We are just observing the girls to see what they have to talk about," Souchirou said innocently. "There is nothing to fear, really. We are simply doing this as a precaution. They might slip something about us being ring holders to the other girls."

"You just want to spy on them without their bras on, right?"

"WHY MUST YOU ALWAYS BE SO BLUNT, SEAN?"

"Anyway," Hiromi bit the inside of his mouth. "Giving Mai that hairpin was so embarrassing, I thought I was going to die. Why couldn't you have given it to her?"

"She would have become suspicious," Souchirou reasoned. "Just as Ryoko would have if I had given her the belt." He flicked the computer back on to see the side of a porcelain sink, only to have Sean turn it immediately off once more. "They never suspected that there were microscopic cameras inside of them."

"There's no way they're going to keep them on when they're in their pajamas," Sean pointed out.

"Ha!" Souchirou smirked triumphantly. "That, my friend, is where my brilliant plan comes into action!"

* * *

"Ow!" Mai winced as she tried to pull Hiromi's hairpin from her hair. Ryoko turned around, already having her black night shirt on.

"What's wrong?" Ryoko asked.

"It won't come off!" Mai grumbled. "I think it's stuck!"

"Let me see, I'll yank it out."

"NO! That's fine, I'll just keep it on," Mai laughed nervously. Ryoko shrugged as she zipped down her pants.

"Have it your w--" She stopped and yanked at the zipper.

"What's wrong?" Mai asked.

"Damn, the damn zipper won't come down!" Ryoko snapped. She tried again and again. "It's stuck! There's no way I'm cutting through these jeans. I'll just sleep in them, then take 'em off in the morning."

"Okay," Mai nodded, now fully changed, and walked into the room.

* * *

"They're done!" Souchirou whispered to the two, motioning them over to the laptop. "Look!" He pointed to the two screens on the computer, one at waist level, the other at eye level.

"Souchirou, let's just go!" Hiromi told him. "If they find us, we're totally toast!"

"Shhh!" Souchirou waved his hand to hush Hiromi. "They're starting!"

* * *

"Let's play a game!" Ayumi cheered.

"Yay!" Misaki smiled.

"A--" Kisaki started.

"Game!" Nisaki finished.

"That is too creepy…" Mai whispered to Ryoko.

"The ONLY game you can play at a slumber party is…" Ayumi looked at the group, then smiled evilly and pulled out a glue bottle from her desk. She put it in the center and smiled. "Truth or Dare!"

"HUH!" Both Ryoko and Mai blushed furiously.

"Yes!" The Isaki girls cheered.

"Truth--"

"Or--"

"Dare!"

"We're off!" Ayumi spun the bottle. "Who will be the first…?" The bottle spun, and spun, and spun, Mai looking at it worriedly.

* * *

"This is most interesting!" Souchirou observed. "They're playing truth or dare!"

"HUH!" Hiromi screamed, almost making Sean fall out of the tree from surprise. "Wh-what?" he ran over to the laptop and shoved Souchirou out of the way to watch.

"Hmm…bad luck," Souchirou frowned. "It seems that Misaki-san was chosen first."

"She's picking dare," Sean observed, peering over the two boy's heads. "Funny…I didn't know she could say more then three words without her twins."

"Calling up Yashiro from Math?" Hiromi asked. "C'mon! That's dumb!"

"You're into this…" Sean looked at Hiromi with accusing eyes.

"Am not!"

"Shhh!" Souchirou shoved them both aside. "Misaki-san is done! She's spinning!"

"Hmm," Sean raised his eyebrows. "Looks like it landed on--"

* * *

"Ayumi!" the Isaki girls laughed as Ayumi stared at the glue bottle straight in her face.

"Oh…uhhh…Dare!" Ayumi laughed and the girls gave a low simultaneous "oooo".

"I dare you to call up Souchirou Hibiki and ask him out on a date!"

Ayumi's face drowned of color.

* * *

"HIROMI, MY CELLULAR PHONE DEVICE!" Souchirou called, his eyes wide with ecstasy and disbelief. He reached his hands out, and Hiromi put his cell phone to his ear, as if waiting for it to ring. "Oh beautiful ring tone, come to me please!"

"She's got the phone…" Sean said, reporting from the laptop. "She's dialing…calling…she's pressing "send"."

Souchirou waited, almost crying from happiness. In a second, the phone went off with a loud, "DOO, DOO, DAA, DOO!" He flipped it open almost immediately and screamed, "Of course I'll go out with you Ayumi-sama!"

"Uhh…I'm sorry, is Yumi Opochino there?"

"Hmm…seems that she dialed your home phone," Sean said as Souchirou's face drowned of color and he let the phone slide from his hand, the caller still asking for Yumi Opochino.

* * *

"Oh! He's not there? That's too bad! Thank you Hibiki-san!" Ayumi hung up and gave a sigh of relief. "Not home! Woot!"

"Too bad!" The Isaki's laughed.

"Next!" Ayumi said, recovering from the blush on her face. She spun the glue bottle a little harder then needed and the girls' faces tensed up as they watched it spin. Finally, after what seemed like an hour, it slowed down and rested on---

"Ryoko!" Ayumi laughed, and Ryoko gulped.

"Truth."

"Hah! Not so brave are you?" Ayumi teased and Ryoko blushed, frustrated. "All right, tell me, have you ever hugged Sean around the waist?"

* * *

"Has she?" Hiromi asked Sean, whose face was now the color of his hair, only darker and more on the pink side.

"Uh-uh…she…uh…she…uh…"

* * *

"Uh-uh…I…uh…I…uh…" Ryoko bit her lip and swallowed. "Yes, all right? I grabbed him when I rode his motorcycle with him! Happy?"

"Woah!" Misaki laughed.

"How--" Kisaki swooned.

"Romantic!" Nisaki finished.

"Will you PLEASE stop that?"

"Next!" Ayumi insisted and Ryoko spun the bottle fiercely.

* * *

"Man, this is stuff that guys were never meant to learn," Hiromi insisted, staring at the laptop. It was almost 2:00 A.M. Luckily, Souchirou had told the two boys' parents (or foreign home in Sean's case) that they were having their own slumber party, so their families were not worried. "We already know who each of the Isakis are dating, who they have made out with on school premises, and who they thought was even "slightly" sexy.

"It seems odd though," Sean said, opening a can of coke they had brought for the night's stakeout. "Mai hasn't been picked once."

"All right girls!" Ayumi's voice came over the computer. "Let's all try for Mai this time! C'mon lucky bottle!"

"It's spinning…" Sean reported. "And…"

* * *

"Oh man…" Mai bit her lip as she sat, cross-legged on the floor, staring straight into the face of the glue bottle. "Uhh…I…" She stared at the five girls staring at her and gulped. "Truth!"

"Ha! Mai you are oh so predictable," Ayumi laughed haughtily. "I saw that coming a mile away! Now…" She stared right into Mai's face. "Do you like Hiromi-sama?"

"Uhh…Hiromi, you might want to get over here." Sean motioned to Hiromi and Hiromi climbed over to watch the computer screen.

"What is going on?" Souchirou asked, leaning in, still sulking slightly from the wrong number on his cellphone which was now sitting comfortably in Ayumi's lawn. "Did Ayumi-sama just ask Mai-san if she romanticizes over Mimura?"

"I think so…" Sean said. "Or in laymen's terms," he stared straight into Hiromi's blushing face, "does she totally have the hots for you."

* * *

"H-Hiromi?" Mai asked, stuttering lightly. "I…uh…we…"

"You have to tell the truth!" Ayumi reminded her. "Don't forget!"

"We…we're just friends!" Mai insisted. "Nothing's going on between us."

* * *

"See?" Hiromi said, laughing lightly. "Mai's got her head straight! She's not the kind to get involved in this dumb girl junk…" He looked at the screen, his eyes lightly dull. "She's not the kind…"

"Dude, you like her." Hiromi looked up to see Sean finishing off his can of coke and throwing it into his backpack. "It's written all over your face. Ask her out, what's the worst that could happen?"

"Mai and I are just friends," Hiromi insisted. "Best friends, that's all! And what about you, why don't you ask out Ryoko?"

"I didn't ask about Ryoko," Sean reminded Hiromi.

"Look, they're putting away the glue bottle," Souchirou motioned to the boys and they crowded around the laptop. "It seems that they want to tell supernatural stories now."

"Good! Let's leave!" Hiromi snapped and jumped down from the tree so quickly that neither Sean nor Souchirou could stop him. "Are you guys coming or--"

Hiromi stopped as he heard a small ring-tone play from the grass. He looked down to see Souchirou's phone glowing with text that read "NEW BOARD MESSAGE" across the front of the phone. Hiromi gingerly picked it up. "Hey Souchirou, what's this?"

"I hooked my cellular phone device up to "The World" programming. Let me see the board message." Hiromi threw Souchirou the phone and he stared at the screen, pressing a few buttons. "Hmm…what's this?"

Sean stared over Souchirou's shoulder and his eyes widened as he read the phone. Souchirou closed it suddenly and grabbed his large black bag. "What's up?" Hiromi asked, climbing back into the tree with little difficulty due to the low branches.

"We've got a problem!" Souchirou said with worry in his voice. "A new message has just come up regarding a new Protected Area!"

"It's **Theta, Wandering Closed Sanctuary**," Sean said to Hiromi. "We've got to get home A.S.A.P. The message has been there for an hour already! The Prism Players might already be there."

"There's no time to get to our separate places of rest," Souchirou stated firmly.

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Hiromi asked, raising his voice slightly.

"Simple." Souchirou smiled, pulling something out of the bag. He raised his head, took off his black ski hat, and held up three "The World" headsets. "We stop it from here."

* * *

"I'm…"

"Really…"

"Tired…"

"If you don't stop that I swear to God…"

"Light's out guys!" Ayumi laughed, flicking off the lights at 2:00 A.M. They had all snuggled into their sleeping bags, Ryoko still in her stuck jeans. They all settled down to go to sleep and dream of the night they had just had.

"I wonder where Hiromi is right now…" Mai whispered after a few minutes. She tossed and turned, going to the rhythm of Ryoko's steady breathing (and slight snoring.) The Isakis breathed in unison, and Ayumi mumbled something about "Hiromi-sama" and "stupid Mai." "He'd die if he knew what we were talking about."

"What the hell?" Ryoko stirred and Mai's eyes widened as a low ring came from Ryoko's black purse. She zipped it open and flipped open the cell phone. "What do you want? Do you know what time it is? Who is this?"

"Ryoko, it's me, Hiromi!" Hiromi said over the phone. "Look, it's urgent! You guys need to get onto "The World" right away!"

"It's 2:00 in the morning," Ryoko groaned. "Can't we talk in the morning?"

"There's a protected area!"

Ryoko's eyes widened, and Mai sat up. "I'm handing you over to Mai." Ryoko handed Mai the cell phone and she spoke into it.

"Hiromi, is that you?"

"Mai, it's another protected area!" Hiromi spoke over the phone. "Can you guys get onto a computer?"

"Ayumi only has one headset!" Mai explained.

"Who said my name?" Ayumi sat up, scratching her head, obviously still tired. "What's going on…?"

"Ayumi!" Mai ran over to her. "Do you have more then one "The World" headset? We've got to get online!"

"Why?" Ayumi asked. "It's sleeping time now."

"There's another protected area!" Mai explained, and Ayumi went pale and nodded.

"My den has two more!" Ayumi nodded. "We can hook them up to my computer in that room!"

"Hiromi," Mai returned her attention to Hiromi over the phone. "We're on our way. Tell Souchirou and Sean to get on too!"

"I…uhh…already called them!" Hiromi said nervously. "We're all meeting at the Theta root down, Dun Loireag!"

"Gotcha!" Mai nodded. "See you there!" She hit the "end" button on the phone and gave it back to Ryoko. "C'mon, there's no time to waste."

* * *

"The girls are late!" Zaiten paced in front of the Chaos Gate of Dun Loireag. Achean and Orizo waited near the pillars that surrounded the Gate. "Where are they?"

"OUCH!" Orizo grabbed his foot and jumped up and down. "Zaiten! You just kicked me in the shin!"

"I did not! I've been over here the entire time!"

"He means in real life, idiot."

"Well, this tree doesn't exactly allow a lot of leg room!" Zaiten argued. "Oh no! My bag just fell off the branch!"

"Pay attention!" Orizo snapped as three sets of golden rings appeared in front of the Chaos Gate. Iam, Chikoro, and Gabriella appeared in front of them, worried expressions on their faces. "Guys! You're here, finally!"

"What's the area?" Gabriella asked. "We've got to get moving before the Prism Players show up!"

"**Theta, Wandering Closed Sanctuary**," said Achean, stepping forward. "Let's go."

"Right," Zaiten nodded and pulled out his ring. "It's time to hack the gates."

* * *

The gate had only required a few cores, all of which they had, and the hacking had been simple for Zaiten. He had become accustomed to it, and the others of jumping through the breach in data. Soon, they arrived at the corrupted area. The usual white of the ice and snow had turned red with raw data.

"C'mon!" Iam stepped forward, planting her spear into the snow. "We have to get to the last leg of the dungeon to stop that Data Bug!"

"Do you think another Prism Player's already down there?" Chikoro asked, shivering a little.

"It's possible…" Orizo bit his lip. "No way to find out until we get down there right?"

"Right!" Gabriella nodded, brandishing her axe. "Let's get a move on!"

* * *

"Well, here we are." The group had made its way down through the dungeon with little difficulty. Although the area was strange looking, no data bugs had shown up so far and it had been a pretty normal cruise through the dungeon. "The next room is the last one," Iam stifled a cough made from nerves.

"Look…" Zaiten pointed to the door frame where violet smoke was rising. "Definitely a Data Bug."

"We've got to beat it before it causes serious damage!" Iam told them. "Is everybody ready?" she asked and they nodded.

"Then let's go," Achean nodded and the six ran inside.

* * *

Indeed, another Data Bug awaited them. This one was a large bird with the head and torso of a human woman. Feathers grew from her head, and the entire monster was colored with the same green flakes. It roared menacingly at them, and they barred their weapons.

"Ready guys?" Iam asked and they nodded. "Charge!"

The bug was fast, and they missed most of the time. Even the quickness of Orizo's attacks and Achean's quick swings were no match for the speedy monster. "Man!" Orizo cursed. "This thing is fast!"

"Chikoro! Cast magic on it!" Iam told her and she nodded.

"Gan Don!" she yelled and the spell converged on the monster.

"Right!" Gabriella nodded. "Keep on doing that Chikoro! Everyone! Throw in your own magic!"

Soon, the entire group was casting spells on the monster. Although its physical evasion must have been extremely high, its magical evasion was low, and most of the attacks made contact.

"We're wearing it down!" Orizo laughed. "Keep on going guys!"

"Time for the trump card!" Chikoro laughed, and she quickly changed her staff to one with a pointed brown tip. "GIGAN ZOT!" The spell converged on the monster and the words "PROTECT BREAK" flashed across the screen.

"Let's go guys!" Iam called, and the group held out their rings.

"RED, BLUE, YELLOW, GREEN, VIOLET, ORANGE DATA DRAIN!" The lights swerved and hit the monster straight on, making the green flakes dissolve as it writhed in pain.

"Get it!" they called, and soon, with more spells, attacks, and skills, the monster fell to the ground, unable to move. As the group congratulated itself, the monster dissolved.

"Is that it?" Gabriella asked. "Strange…"

"The player must have already left," Orizo sighed.

"We'll get 'em next time," Chikoro laughed. "C'mon guys, let's get back to the party!"

"Yeah, and I need to pick up my bag from the grass…" Zaiten said, only to stop and look at the guys, knowing he'd screw up.

"What are you guys up to?" Iam asked, raising her eyebrow in suspicion.

"W-we're camping!" Orizo covered quickly. "We didn't tell you because…uh…we were afraid you'd be offended!"

"Offended that you went camping?" Gabriella asked. "What's up with that?"

"Uhh – see you guys later!" Orizo waved, and the three quickly logged out.

"Well, shall we follow suit?" Iam asked and the girls nodded.

"Let's get out of here!" Gabriella laughed, and the three girls gated out of the area.

Little did they know…someone was watching them.

From the corner of the room, a small wavemaster in golden robes walked out nervously. "See? See? I told you! I think they're hackers! I heard them talking about all that weird stuff one day in Mac Anu!"

"_Yeah," Orizo nodded. "This is bad…Moyotu and the others will definitely start taking advantage of the protection…"_

"_We've got to hack those gates and stop the Data Bugs to slow the infection!" Chikoro told them. "Kalen said we use those cores to hack the gates right?"_

"_And I can hack them," Zaiten nodded. Chikoro laid out the cores. _

_The wavemaster stood behind the pillar near them, looking on with interest. "What…are they doing?" he asked himself._

"Thank you, you've been very helpful," said a female voice from the corner.

"So…umm…do I get my re--"

"Here," a male voice snapped, throwing a large bag of GP at the wavemaster. He squealed at the large amount and quickly gated out, not wanting to be in the area anymore. "So…do you think they know anything?"

"It's our first hunch in a month. We'd better take it."

"I guess…that thing that they fought is the same. So…"

"So that means," the female voice said, and a smile broadened across her face, "that it's time to pay them a little visit."

* * *

"Hooth!" Hiromi sighed, pulling off his headset. "That was close…"

"I guess," Sean said, also pulling off his headset. "Can we go now?"

"Yes, I suppose we should," Souchirou nodded, putting the visors and laptop in his bag. "The girls must be going back to sleep, and we need to head back to headquarters."

"Down you go." Souchirou's eyes widened as Sean gave him a sharp push off the tree branch, making him fall to the ground, his face hitting the dirt with a large "thump"!

"SEAN!" Souchirou screamed, cleaning his glasses and coughing out grass lumps and brown earth.

"C'mon," Hiromi yawned. "I'm tired."

"Hey guys!" Hiromi waved to Mai, Ayumi, and Ryoko that Monday morning. Behind him were Souchirou and Sean, both smiling innocently. "Did you have a nice weekend?"

"Oh yeah," Mai smirked, "Real nice."

"That Data Bug sure was difficult, was it not?" Souchirou asked.

"Hard," Ayumi had the same expression on her face. "Whatever you say."

"Good thing we beat it," Sean said stoically.

"You bet," Ryoko said, cracking her knuckles. "Real good thing."

"Is…is something wrong?" Hiromi asked as the three girls grew dark.

"Oh, nothing!" Ayumi laughed. "Nothing at all! In fact, you wouldn't believe what I found in my lawn Sunday morning!"

"Wh-what's that?" Souchirou asked, glasses slipping off his ear.

"YOUR CELL PHONE PEEPING TOM!" Ayumi shoved the phone into Souchirou's face and he backed off immediately. "You were spying on us the entire time…"

"Th-that's not mine!" Souchirou defended, then rasped to Sean. "It must have fallen out when you pushed me!" He turned back to the girls."Why would I be at your slumber party? You can't prove that that cellular phone device belongs to me!"

"THEN WHY DOES IT HAVE WALLPAPER WITH MY SCHOOL PICTURE ON IT!"

"Uh oh…"

* * *

"Souchirou, you dork!"

"This is all your fault you know…"

"Please!" Souchirou scoffed. "You were the ones who gave them the belt and the hairpin!"

"So those gifts were just to spy on us?" Ryoko asked, veins pulsing. "PULL!"

"OW!"

"If it wasn't for your dumb camera laptop!"

"You were spying on us through cameras? Like stalkers?" Ayumi asked. "PULL!"

"OWW!"

"Well you were the one who wanted to see them changing!"

"CHANGING?" Mai asked, enraged. "PULL!"

Ayumi, Ryoko, and Mai gave a sharp tug on a rope, and the three boys, attached the rope by their ankles, were hoisted up the tree branch, hitting their heads with a resounding "CLUNK".

"OW!"

"I think they've had enough for the hour girls," Mai smirked.

"You're letting us down?" Hiromi asked, and all three boys perked up with excitement.

"Let you down?" Ryoko asked. "Please!"

Mai had already tied the rope to the roots of the tree and the three girls were walking away. "We'll come get you tomorrow, don't worry!"

"Tomorrow? Wait! Come back!" Souchirou cried.

And as the moon rose high into the sky, the call of the three-headed peeping Tom could be heard from mountains high and valleys low:

"COOOMMMMEEE BAAAAAACCCK!"

* * *

The End! I hope you all liked it. I laughed myself at the ending. A very silly chapter with ONE event that progressed the plot. Oo

Enjoy!

Don't forget to review!


	11. Claws and Fists

Author's Notes: Chapter 11 of "Log On!" is finally here! Heart-pounding, spear-slashing, philosophical-contemplating action! Okay, maybe the latter won't be present, but that's not the point!

The point is that we're here and ready for the latest chapter! w00t! C'mon, give me a shout!

Everyone: (silence)

Okay… Anyway! I have a request of my lovely readers!

If anyone has information on Helba (any you can offer) Please send it to me at PrettySammyNASaol,com! (comma to .) I especially need help on her personal life if there is any information to offer!

Let's get on to the chapter now!

* * *

Log On Chapter 11 – Claws and Fists 

"Man, Iam…" It was Sunday, and, as usual, the group of the six ring holders were training up their characters while traveling through a dungeon. Already on the fifth floor, they had all leveled up to twenty. But still, the group was forced to stop many times as its resident Long Arm gave a fit of sneezes. After a particularly large one, Orizo had spoken up. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," Iam said nasally, throwing them the "thumb's up" sign. "My cold's almost gone."

"You were absent all last week," Chikoro said sympathetically. "You called me every night for notes."

"Yeah," Iam sniffled. "I guess I just caught the flu or something. But I'm coming back to school tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?" Gabriella asked, and then paused. "Oh thanks! You just reminded me of something!"

"What?" Achean asked.

"That permission slip for the Scuba Diving field trip is due tomorrow," Gabriella said. "I need to get my mom to sign it."

"Scuba Diving?" Iam asked. "I didn't hear about that!"

"Umm…that's kind of because the permission slips were handed out while you were sick," Chikoro admitted. "They're due tomorrow."

"Huh?" Iam asked, a little dumbstruck. "B-but I didn't get one! What am I supposed to do?"

"Don't worry Iam!" Orizo assured her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure that the teacher will give you extended time!"

* * *

"No extended time." 

"B-but, Igumo-sensei, I was absent all last week!" It was the next morning, and Mai was already pleading with her counselor, Igumo, to let her go on the field trip. "I'll hand it in tomorrow!"

"I'm afraid that we had to make reservations for the boats this morning," Igumo-sensei explained, holding up a form from a scuba-diving boat rental company as proof. "I'm afraid that you won't be able to attend."

"But if you could just pack one extra person!"

"I'm afraid that this is where I draw the line, Yanagi-san," Igumo-sensei sighed. "You'll have three days off this week it seems."

* * *

"This sucks!" Mai screamed, slamming her locker. Ayumi and Hiromi stood by her as she threw her books into her arms. "You guys are going on an awesome trip tomorrow and I have to stay home until Friday!" 

"That's okay Mai," Hiromi assured her. "We'll e-mail you loads of pictures!"

"And I'll get to spend a romantic time with Hiromi-sama under the ocean!" Ayumi giggled flirtatiously, throwing her arms around Hiromi's neck.

"Ayumi! Get off!"

"Ayumi-sama, I've already made plans that we will be on the same boat!" The next thing the three knew, Souchirou had skidded up to them, his hair tousled and his glasses foggy. "Isn't that splendid?"

"NO!" Ayumi shouted, bowling Souchirou over. "I wanted to be on the same boat as Hiromi-sama!"

"W-well, I knew that being with Mimura would please you my darling, so I made sure that he, Ryoko-san, Sean-san, and Mai-san would be with us."

"I'm not going…" Mai bit the inside of her mouth. "They wouldn't accept a late permission slip."

"What?" Souchirou asked, taken aback. "Why not Mai-san?"

"I don't know," Mai shrugged, huffing. "Igumo-sensei is a witch."

"What's this about you not coming?" Ryoko and Sean sauntered up to the group, Ryoko looking quite displeased with the news.

"You're not coming?" Sean asked.

"No!" Mai snapped. "I'm not!"

"Man, and we were planning to have you and Mimura-kun all set up in front of a sunset," Ryoko smirked, making both Mai and Hiromi blush.

"I know," Hiromi smiled. "You can keep an eye out for Prism Players and infected areas while we're gone. You'll be like our scout!"

"Scout…right," Mai sighed. "I have to get to trig, see you guys later…" She turned around and walked down the hallway.

* * *

"You're so lucky, Mai!" It was Tuesday morning, and Shizuma was lifting his backpack onto his back, getting ready for school. "You get to miss school until Friday!" 

"Lucky nuttin'," Mai sighed, eating some old popcorn from the night before. "All my friends are on an awesome field trip right now."

"Sorry…" Shizuma said, looking apologetic. His face suddenly perked up. "Hey! I know!"

"Hmmm?"

"How 'bout I fake sick and play "The World" with you!"

"Nice try little bro," Mai said, pushing him out the door. "Seriously, you've been trying to get on my game forever. I told you, you can only make one character unless you buy a special plus pack."

"You're mean sis!" Shizuma narrowed his eyebrows, turned on his heel, and ran towards the school bus, leaving Mai alone on the porch, watching him go.

"Speaking of "The World"…" Mai sighed, and looked back towards her bedroom door.

* * *

"I guess this could be my opportunity to make some new friends on the game," Mai reasoned, sitting down in her chair, still in her pajamas. She already had five bagels, smothered with cream cheese, in front of her, ready to be eaten to soak up the depression of missing the field trip. "I can't hang out with my real life friends forever, can I?" 

She half-heartedly turned on her PC and watched it boot up, her eyes sagging with boredom. "I'll just head out and do some leveling. I'll be level thirty by the time they all get back…"

She clicked on "The World" icon and sighed to see she had no new e-mail and no new board messages. "Guess even the Prism Players are going on a field trip."

She then clicked on "Log In" and she was in "The World".

* * *

Iam's shoes made a light tap as she descended onto the path of Dun Loireag. She looked around to see loads of people shopping and showing off new armor sets to one another. The city, elevated, was cool and made Iam's hair blow lightly across her face. "I guess it's time to make some friends." 

She stopped, looked around, and saw no one pleasing. "I can just go solo…"

* * *

But that had been a bad idea. Any monsters that would have been even slightly substantial in the ways of EXP were too hard for her to take on by herself. She had ended up having to run away and gate out as the monsters ran after her. 

"Man!" Iam kicked the dirt as she arrived back in Dun Loireag. "I guess it really _is_ time to make some friends…"

She looked around and smiled as she saw two people, a cute wavemaster girl and a tall heavy blade, talking to one another. 'Two plus one equals three,' she thought to herself and ran over to the two.

"Hey!" she waved. "I'm Iam; want to go on a dungeon adventure?"

"Sure!" the heavy blade nodded. "What's your level?"

"Twenty!"

There was a pause. "Umm…we're both eighty-eight," the wavemaster responded and Iam fell over into the dirt.

"Then what are you doing in this root town?" Iam asked, trying not to grow angry.

"We were just trading for some armor from a guy…he said he'd meet us here."

"Oh well," Iam sighed. "Thanks anyway."

"Don't worry," the heavyblade smiled. "I'm sure you'll find some people to level up with."

* * *

Iam hadn't been able to find anyone to level up with. All afternoon she had searched, but no one was her level, or even close to it. All the high levels wanted to go to higher level areas, and they said that lower levels would only get in the way. Iam knew that their logic had some truth in it…but still… 

"I can't believe it…" Iam sighed. "No one to level with! How hard is it to find a level twenty?"

"Level twenty?"

Iam's head perked up as she heard a soft voice, only to see no one around her. She swerved her head, but still, she couldn't see anybody. "Hello?" she asked.

"Hi!" the voice responded.

"Hey there," a deeper, obviously male, voice called as well.

"Where are you two?" Iam asked, swiveling her head around.

"Ooops! Sorry!" The female voice giggled again. "My bad! I forgot that we're the only ones who know how to get up here!"

Iam looked straight up into the air and saw two sets of legs dangling over the Cliffside in one of the buildings. One set, obviously the females, jumped down from the spot, landing with a definite "thump" on the ground. Falling to her knees, she stood up promptly and gave a huge smile. "Hi there!"

The female turned out to be a tall, mature woman with white flowing hair that reached about her shoulders. Her eyes were grey with heavy black pupils and she wore a white tank top with a white tunic over it. The tunic, lined with pink, had rhinestones near the shoulders that obviously attached the tunic to the tank top.

She wore a short white skirt that was about six inches above her knees. The skirt was lined with pink and white ruffles, giving a whole soft feel to the outfit.

Her boots, reaching to just below her knees, were colored white with gray soles and had a rhinestone pattern on it. Her elbow-length gloves were lined with pink. On her belt were two sets of silver knuckles and Iam realized the woman's class. "You must be…"

"A fighter!" the woman nodded. "My name's Tiyra, what's yours?"

"Umm…I'm…"

"Hey, what am I, chopped liver?" The deeper voice called from up on the cliff. Both Tiyra and Iam looked up to see a man staring down at them with a look a disapproving upon his face. He too jumped down and looked at the two woman with his arms crossed across his chest.

Iam surveyed him to see that he wore a tight black neck top with no sleeves. An armor plate, lined with black fur, rested across his chest and matching ones decorated his thighs. He also wore black tight shorts that showed off the high definition of his legs. Across his waist was a black fur boa, and his black boots (rising just above his ankles) were lined with the black fur as well.

It wasn't hard to guess this man's class of course. He was a werewolf, and it was quite obvious because he had sharp canines and two black wolf ears rising out of his shaggy black hair that ended just above his ears. Also, if Iam looked behind the man, she saw his black wolf's tail. His claws were sharp and Iam wondered why he didn't puncture his own skin. "I'm a Career Werewolf, my name's Sersen."

"Career Werewolf my butt," Tiyra said flirtatiously. "He's my personal gigolo."

"WHAT?" Iam screamed, blushing a bright red as Tiyra laughed.

"Just joking, just joking!" she assured Iam. "So, what's your name, sweetie?"

"Uhh…Iam," Iam said, still recovering from her blush.

"Hey Iam," Sersen whispered huskily, sneaking up behind her and slipping his arm around her waist. "How'd you like to dump this fat-thigh chick and go to a _very_ secluded dungeon with me?"

"W-WHAT?"

"FAT THIGHS MY ASS!" Tiyra screamed, giving Sersen a deck in his right cheek.

"Ow! Bitch, that hurt!" He said, rubbing his face. "Oh, and by the way, your ass is fat too!"

"EAT THIS S.O.B!"

"MAKE ME YOU HE-WOMAN!"

The two started to fight violently on the ground, Tiyra decking Sersen with her knuckles and Sersen trying to claw Tiyra's eyes out. Iam could only stand watching and shivering as the two continued to brawl.

But, as the dust cleared, both were unharmed and actually laughing their heads off. Iam didn't understand the situation at all, but she was glad that the two had stopped their violence. "Sorry about that!" Sersen laughed, scratching his ear.

"You said you were looking for people to level with, right?" Tiyra asked.

"Uhh…yeah," Iam nodded.

"Well, we happen to both be level twenty!" Tiyra smiled and Sersen nodded. "Lucky you, huh?"

"You'll really level with me?" Iam asked, almost overcome with bliss. "Thank you so much!"

"Of course! A long arm like you could take all the damage while we dish it out!" Sersen reminded her and Iam sweatdropped.

"So I'm your shield…?"

"IDIOT!" Tiyra gave Sersen a sharp hit across the head. "You should know Long Arms have lower defense then other classes!"

"Ow! That hurt again! But, you've caught me red handed. I only wanted to go with her because I'm tired of hanging out with an ugly chick like you."

"THAT IS SO IT!"

Once again, a brawl ensued between the two, and Iam was seriously thinking that she would be better leveling by herself then hanging out with these two crazy people. "Ummm…"

"Sorry about that!" Sersen laughed, brushing himself off, Tiyra's fingers still pulling his hair. "C'mon fat chick, cutie pie, let's go!"

* * *

"I am not fat…" Tiyra growled as she punched a Lich in the stomach, defeating it. Behind her, Sersen gave a Wasp a claw to the face, making it back off and lunge at him once more. 

"HYAH!" Iam slashed the wasp, making it fall to the ground, and the BATTLE MODE OFF message came onto the screen. The group had found itself in a grassy area at daytime. They had been on for about forty five minutes, clearing the fields of any monsters they could. Iam was only about 150 exp points away from leveling up, and the other two were obviously just as close. "We're making great progress!"

"You said it!" Tiyra nodded. "Even with this loser of a fighter, your skills make up for it!"

"Loser of a fighter! I have a higher attack power then you!"

"That's only because of those claws you bought," Tiyra said, cleaning her ear with her pinky. "You couldn't take down a single monster by yourself I bet…it's so sad that I hang out with such a loser as yourself."

"COME HERE!" Sersen grabbed Tiyra and started to tickle her ferociously, making her laugh and squirm in his arms.

"S-Stop it! I'm ticklish!" She laughed, trying to get away. Finally, he dropped her and Iam smiled at the two.

"You two sure get along," she commented, and the two looked over at the red clad Long arm. "You must be really good friends."

The two looked at one another, smiled, winked, and got up from their tickle bout. "Come on," Tiyra threw her arm around Iam's shoulder. "We've still got to go in the dungeon!"

* * *

"And another one bites the dust!" Tiyra cheered as the group cleared another portal after defeating the monsters. They were on the third floor, and already had destroyed multiple enemies. All three had achieved level twenty one and Iam was already collecting points for twenty two. "We make a great team!" 

"You're right," Iam said and Sersen nodded his head in agreement.

"Oh darn!" Tiyra snapped her fingers. "I just checked the clock; I've got to get to a doctor's appointment."

"What, already?" Sersen asked her, and then paused. "Oh, okay."

"Sersen and I can just hang around town or something," Iam shrugged and Sersen coughed.

"A-actually, I just realized that I…I have umm…a class to get to. I'm a University student you see."

"Oh," Iam sighed. "Too bad. I guess that's all for today."

"Hey, I know!" Tiyra smiled. "Let's meet tomorrow at noon!"

"Yeah!" Sersen nodded in agreement. "We'll all meet by the Theta Chaos Gate at noon tomorrow, gotcha."

"See you both later!" Iam waved as the two gated out, leaving her alone. "Well, they sure were strange, but it's good to have some friends around. I'll have to introduce them to the others once they get back. I guess I'll log out now…not really much to do."

So, Iam gated out, then quickly hit "Log Out" on her menu screen. "I can't wait till tomorrow."

* * *

"So how's scuba diving?" Mai asked into the phone. Hiromi and the others had called her from their hotel that night, and Mai patiently listened as they pretended that they were having no fun whatsoever. "Boring?" 

"Yeah, yeah, really boring!" Hiromi told her. "You wouldn't like it."

"Yes, I must admit, I would rather be spending my time at home like you Mai-san," Souchirou commented.

"It's a drag…" Ryoko said, forcing a fake yawn.

"Hey guys, poker in room 409!" A voice yelled from the hall and the entire group gulped.

"Uhhh, crazy hobos hang out in our hotel! Better get rid of them, bye!" Ayumi finished, and the phone quickly hung up.

"Heh," Mai sighed, hanging up the phone herself. "Glad they're having such a good time."

* * *

"So, all by yourself today?" Sota asked as Mai walked into Start Button the next day. "Hey, where's your uniform? You ditching today? Good girl Mai!" 

"SOTA!" Fuko gave Sota a large whack on the head with a heavy game system, making Sota grow a large bump. "Only you would cut class!"

"Actually, my class is on a field trip and I wasn't able to go," Mai said, smoothing down her skirt as she sat on one of the stools facing the counter.

"Aww, drag," Sota shrugged. "But hey, what can you do?"

"Actually, I'm meeting some friends online in a couple of hours," Mai looked at her watch which read "10:30".

"Hmm?" Sota asked. "Friends?"

"Yeah, they're named Tiyra and Sersen. They're really weird, but they're fun."

"I see," Sota smiled. "So you're really getting into "The World" aren't you?"

"Yeah, I guess," Mai shrugged. "It's really fun, making new friends and stuff."

"And the more you get into it, the more products you'll want to buy from us, right?" Sota asked, looming over Mai, who just sweatdropped.

'I knew he had a hidden agenda…' Mai thought to herself, laying her head down on the glass desk, waiting for it to be noon.

* * *

But she wasn't bored waiting. Sota had let her play a few new video games they had gotten in stock on the test machines, and Fuko and she talked about college and entrance exams. 

"Now, don't panic when you can't answer a question," Fuko assured her. "Just read it slowly, and skip it if need be."

"I heard Tokyo U's exams are pretty hard," Mai commented.

"Pretty hard, but I'm sure you can handle 'em," Fuko winked. "If Sota can then a chipmunk could…"

"I HEARD THAT!"

"Hey!" Mai smiled. "It's almost noon! I'd better log on to meet my friends!"

"Have fun," Fuko smiled and Mai sat down at one of the parlor computers, putting on a headset. Logging in with her password and username, she quickly accessed "The World".

* * *

"Hey, you're late!" Tiyra called as Iam dropped from the Chaos Gate. "It's already 11:58!" 

"You said noon!" Iam said, blushing.

"I did? Oops," Tiyra laughed. "Just kidding, I love to tease."

"Where's Sersen?" Iam asked.

"He's having…" she stopped. "He's probably just late, the bum. He always stands me up whenever we're supposed to go on an adventure or something."

"Heh, I see," Iam smiled, but in a moment, Sersen popped out behind her, panting slightly.

"I'm here," he sighed, walking over to Tiyra. "And I fixed it."

"Fixed what?" Iam asked and Tiyra shot Sersen a glare.

"Umm…his resolution's been fuzzy," Tiyra covered. "He told me the other day. Glad you fixed it, Dog Boy."

"Let's go on a dungeon adventure!" Iam suggested. "We didn't get to finish the last one we were in."

"Sure, whatever," Sersen shrugged. "Hey Iam, you know about all those board messages that have been up lately?"

"Huh?" Iam asked, blushing slightly pink. "Y-you mean the ones about the coma victims and weird areas?"

"Yeah," Tiyra nodded. "Sounds really suspicious; you know anything about it?"

"M-me?" Iam asked, taken aback. "N-no way! I'd rather not get involved."

"Hmmm, I see," Sersen frowned. "C'mon, let's go on a dungeon adventure!"

By the time the group had returned from their adventure, Iam was level twenty two, along with the other two in her group. They also returned with a pile of treasure, most of which had gone to Iam since Tiyra and Sersen already had large stocks of GP with them. "That was loads of fun!" Iam smiled. "I'm going to be so high level when the guys get back!"

"Your friends?" Tiyra asked and Iam nodded. "Can't wait to meet 'em."

"I better go," Sersen sighed. "Class."

"Yeah, me too," Tiyra told Iam. "I've got work to get to."

"So…you're older Tiyra?" Iam asked and Tiyra blushed.

"A-actually I'm younger…" she said, scratching her head. "I have a part time job."

"You two must have played together a lot," Iam smiled and the two looked at each other and smiled once more. "How long have you known each other?"

"A couple months…" Sersen told her.

"Do you know each other in real life?" Iam asked and both gasped lightly.

"O-o-of course not!" Tiyra laughed. "N-no way! Hahaha!"

"Anyway, time to go! Bye girls!" Sersen gated out quickly.

"Hey Iam," Tiyra nodded to Iam and Iam gave a motion as if to say "Huh?". "Let's get on together tomorrow at noon again, kay?"

"You bet!" Iam nodded. "See you tomorrow!"

"Bye bye, girlfriend!" Tiyra waved goodbye, and she too gated out.

"I guess I'll follow suit," Iam nodded, gating out after the two.

* * *

"So, any Prism Player activity?" Sean asked that night. The group had called Mai once again from the hotel, checking up on her. 

"Nope," Mai shook her head. "No board messages or anything. Haven't seen them around for awhile."

"That's good," said Ryoko. "So, you must be pretty bored, huh?"

"Not really," Mai smiled. "I met two new friends on the game. We've been adventuring a lot."

"Hey, don't level up too much," commanded Ayumi. "We'll have to catch up!"

"Can't guarantee anything," Mai winked.

"Well, it's pretty boring here," Hiromi sighed. "I'm glad at least you're having fu-"

"Chocolate fondue in 405!" A shout from the hall called and the group gulped again.

"Uhhh…more hobos! Gotta go, bye!"

Mai stared at the phone, wondering how "crazy hobos in the hotel" was the only excuse that they could come up with…

* * *

Mai booted up her computer about 11:00 the next day. Still in her pajamas eating limp cereal, she noted a new e-mail in her box.

* * *

Subject: Hey there Girlfriend! 

Sender: Tiyra

Message:

What up Iam? This is Tiyra, checking up on you! Don't forget, noon today! Hey, actually, I had a question about that cool ring you have. Do you think that I could get one? They're really awesome.

-Tiyra

* * *

Mai scratched her head, thinking of what to say…

* * *

Subject: Re: Hey there Girlfriend! 

Sender: Iam

Message:

Umm…actually, I bought the ring from a game store.

Your friend,

Iam

* * *

Quickly, she clicked "The World" icon on her desktop and realized that there were new board messages. She scrolled down, and noticed the new message:

* * *

Subject: Another Strange Area 

Sender: Hana-chan

There was a strange area that my friend and I found. It wasn't protected, so we went in without knowing. There was a weird girl in the dungeon, and she told us to get out. My friend said she was being rude and refused to leave. Then, the girl summoned some sort of monster and it defeated my friend! Now she's in a coma! Someone, please help!

The area was **Theta, Dying Crying Hopelessness!

* * *

**

"An area that wasn't protected?" Iam asked. "Probably is now…nothing I can do about it…Zaiten isn't here. And that girl…could it be Moyotu?"

Noticing it was noon, she logged into "The World".

* * *

"Almost late Iam!" Sersen reminded her as she gated in, seeing her two friends. "It's just noon." 

"Sorry, I was reading that board message," Iam told them. "Really weird, huh?"

"Yeah," Tiyra nodded, smiling. "But totally exciting! Can we go?"

"Huh?" Iam asked. "You're joking! You could fall into a coma!"

"Oh bah!" Tiyra waved her hand, as if dismissing Iam's concerns. "Don't be such a worrywart! Live a little!"

"A-and I doubt we can go anyway!" Iam assured them. "It's probably protected!"

"We could try," Sersen offered.

"Fine…" Iam furrowed her brow. "But it's going to be protected."

"Look!" Tiyra smiled, and Iam turned around to see she was already at the Chaos Gate. "It's not! It's our lucky day!"

"Huh?" Iam asked, checking out the area to see that it was, in truth, not protected. 'Oh no…' she thought. 'They must have not protected it yet…' She turned to the two members of her party. "Guys, we can't go! They're going to protect it any second!"

"Oh pish posh!" Tiyra smiled. "**Theta, Dying Crying Hopelessness!"**

"No! Stop!" In a second, the group had been sucked through the Chaos Gate and were on their way to the area.

But just as they left, two people emerged from the gate. One was a short girl with curly brown hair and markings on her face. She wore a yellow tank top and a loose brown shirt and fell past her shoulders. She wore a brown skirt with yellow tights and brown boots. A heavy blade sword was on her back, a notepad in her hand. "Ma'am?"

"What is it Ruta?"

"Would you like me to install the protection grid now?"

"Yes…before anyone gets wind of that message."

The girl walked over to the Chaos Gate and pressed her hand to it. "Administrator access, username "Ruta". Protection Gate…" she paused, closed her eyes and a green light erupted from her fingers onto the gate. "Installed on **Theta, Dying Crying Hopelessness.** Anything else ma'am?"

"No…wait," the other person stopped. "Has anyone entered the area?"

"Currently…there are four players in the area," Ruta commented, looking at her notepad. "Anything else, Miss Emerika?"

Emerika shook her head that was covered with long silver hair in a ponytail. Her eyes were a shade of blue and she wore a blue and silver breast piece that matched her long flowing blue skirt. On her hands were long silver gloves that matched her boots. On her back was a long spear, and it was apparent she was a long arm. "Let's go Ruta. If those four…or three I should say…get themselves killed, CC Corp is not responsible."

"With all due respect ma'am…" Ruta mumbled. "Don't you think we should take measures to get them out?"

"No. Ruta, if dumb thrill seekers jump off a cliff, is the owner of the property responsible?"

"N-no ma'am…"

"Then neither are we," Emerika commanded. "Now come, I still have to respond to that e-mail."

And with that, the two were enveloped in golden rings.

* * *

"Woah!" Tiyra gasped as they landed in the area, one that was blacked over with broken skies. The ground was hot lava that showed rims of lost and corrupted data. "This is so cool! C'mon, let's find that girl that the message mentioned!" 

"Guys, let's get out of here now," pleaded Iam. "It's too dangerous."

"Hey, there's the dungeon!" Sersen pointed. "C'mon Iam, Tiyra, let's go."

"Guys, stop!" Iam called as the two ran towards the tall tower that contained the dungeon. Iam sighed and ran after them. "This is horrible…"

* * *

"Man! Four levels and no sight of that strange girl!" Tiyra snapped her fingers. "Or weird monsters for that matter!" 

"I guess she's not here!" Iam laughed nervously. "Let's go!"

"Wait!" Sersen pointed to a door in front of them. "There's still one more level! We can't give up now!"

"We really should!" Iam told them. "What if we get attacked?"

"Then we'll fight 'em off!" Sersen said, showing his claws. "Comas? Bah! I laugh in the face of danger!"

"I…I guess…" Iam looked down at her right hand. 'There's no way I can beat a data bug with only one ring… How can I get them out of here…?'

"Finally! The last room!" Tiyra pointed towards the room. "She's GOT to be in here!"

"Guys, we've got to stop now!" Iam turned Tiyra around to face her. "This isn't a game, it's way too dangerous!"

"What's gonna happen?" Sersen asked, smirking.

"You guys could fall into a coma! What if a strange monster is in there?"

There was a pause and silence hit the room. All of a sudden, Tiyra and Sersen grew serious. "If there is a strange monster…why don't you just drain it with your ring?"

Iam's eyes widened as she looked at Sersen who had just spoken. From Tiyra's look, she obviously knew the capabilities of her ring as well. "H-how…"

"We saw you a few days ago with your friends Data Draining a bug," Tiyra explained. "We got information from a Wave Master and were able to follow you after you hacked the gates."

"We know you have the power to defeat those things…" Sersen said. "We want to see it in action. We need to know if you can really do it."

"Not with only one ring I can't!" Iam told them. "I need my friends here!"

"Look…we're going in there and fighting that thing…" Tiyra told Iam. "You can't stop us!"

With that, before Iam knew what was happening, the two sprinted into the last room. Iam stopped, spun around and ran after them. "No! Stop!" she yelled, then skidded to a halt as she saw the same violet mist as before. "Damn! Guys, come back!"

* * *

"I see you've shown up…" 

Iam skidded to a halt next to Tiyra and Sersen who already had their weapons drawn and ready. She looked forward and saw a young woman standing in the middle of the room, behind her a gigantic black dragon covered with green flakes.

The girl had long black hair that reached her mid back and shone brightly when she flipped it around her shoulder. She wore a white circlet with a black jewel in the middle and had black sharp markings on her cheeks.

She wore white armor that covered her shoulders and her chest. She also wore white armbands and white fingerless gloves. Her armored skirt was white with black fringe and her short boots were black while her knee socks were white. Every piece had sharp black markings all over them, and everything was lined with black. She was a blade master with a black sword on her belt.

"Who are you?" Tiyra snarled.

"My name is Garavarta…" she spoke softly, her heavy eyelids drooping. "I would tell you all to leave, but Moyotu would be angry with me."

"Garavarta…" Iam chewed the name in her mind.

"Yes…so I made this…to kill you all," Garavarta said, pointing to her large beast.

"You're going to pay…" Sersen growled, and Iam noticed intense anger in his eyes. "YOU'RE GOING TO PAY YOU BITCH!"

He lunged forward, slicing at Garavarta, only to have her easily dodge and flip backwards. "Why do you have a grudge against me?" she asked. "I don't remember ever meeting you."

"Were you the one who installed one of those," he pointed to the dragon, "at **Theta, Crossed Abandoned Dream**?"

"Hmm…" Garavarta smirked. "No, that was Moyotu who installed that one. One of my favorites, very creative."

Iam noticed a huge change in Garavarta's personality. Instead of the mellow girl she had been when they had met her, she was now slightly manic. "What, did it kill your best friend or something?"

"SHUT IT!" He lunged again, only to have Garavarta dodge once more.

"Anyway, I'm not in the mood right now," she laughed haughtily. "Ready to become dragon food?" She cackled loudly and the dragon lunged forward. "GO, GO AND KILL THEM ALL!"

The dragon lunged at Sersen, knocking him to the ground, blood coughing from his mouth.

"SERSEN!" Tiyra ran to his side, and helped him up. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine…" he wiped a bit of blood from his mouth. "So this is the group of people…those bastards that…"

"WATCH OUT!" Iam shrieked as the dragon threw itself forward again. Iam slid in front of the two and slashed the dragon with her spear, of course not inflicting damage but making it back off. "Guys! Help me out! Attack it with all your might!"

"But you said you couldn't beat it!" Tiyra said.

"I don't care!" Iam shook her head. "Someone's got to take care of it! It might as well be me!"

The two stopped, looked at each other, and nodded. "Let's go fat thighs!"

"Whatever you say gigolo!"

The two rushed forward, slicing, clawing, and punching at the dragon. Of course, the dragon felt no effect, but that didn't stop them from putting out whatever they could to defeat the beast.

Garavarta, on the other hand, was writhing on the floor with laughter. "You're all so dumb! You can't win! Give up!"

"Man, talk about Jekyll and Hyde personality!" Sersen shouted above the noise. "What's her problem?"

"I don't know!" Iam shouted. "VAK KRUZ!" She cast the spell, and the words: PROTECT BREAK flashed above the dragon. "Guys! We did it! Stand back, I'm going to drain it!"

"One ring?" Garavarta cackled again. "Are you joking? The power from the bug will overload your ring!"

"You don't know that!" Iam shouted to Garavarta and she smirked.

"Yep! I sure do! It'll be so much power that you're ring will shatter and you'll fall into a coma like the others!" Garavarta shouted and Iam looked down at her ring, now slightly afraid.

"I…I'll fall into a coma?" Her hand turned into a fist, and she looked at her ring. "I…I…"

"Iam…" Tiyra whispered.

"I DON'T CARE! I'VE GOT TO STOP YOU!" Iam pointed her ring at the monster. "HERE I GO! RED DATA DR-"

"Stop!" A soft voice called from the ceiling, and Iam looked up to see none other then Prisma floating down to her. "Please stop…it is too dangerous."

"I can't let anymore people go into comas!" Iam told her. "Even if I'm all alone, I've got to at least try!"

"Your bravery is astounding," Prisma smiled, touching Iam's hand with her own. "But you are not alone. Look behind you." Iam did and saw Tiyra and Sersen running towards her.

"Who's…who's she?" Tiyra whispered to Iam, but Iam did not answer.

"You two have been through quite a hardship," Prisma said, addressing the two behind Iam. "Now, I give you these…" Her two small hands touched the ring fingers of the two fighters, Tiyra's right and Sersen's left.

A bright light erupted, and swirling colors passed around Iam and the others. "Wh-what's going on!"

"The rings are evolving!" Prisma shouted over the wind. "You are coming one step closer!"

"To what!" Iam asked.

Prisma smiled, shook her head and slowly faded away. "Wait, Prisma!" Iam held out her hand to reach Prisma, and gasped as she saw her ring start to grow what looked like silver material. It wrapped around her hand and wrist, and when the light and wind subsided, on her hand was a bracelet that branched out with tiny silver chains and tiny red jewels that all came from her ring. It attached at her wrist and the entire thing had become a hand guard.

She looked over at the others to see that they had matching guards; Tiyra's white and Sersen's a brilliant black. "Tiyra, Sersen…you guys…"

"So…shall we get rid of this thing?" Sersen asked and Iam looked taken aback. Then, she smiled and nodded.

"Hey ugly!" She called to the dragon and it turned around to face them. They lined up, Tiyra and Sersen each on one side of Iam. "What's black, and white and red all over?"

"Give up?" Tiyra asked.

"YOU!" Iam shouted and the three outstretched their rings. "RED, WHITE, BLACK DATA DRAIN!"

The three powerful lights streamed towards the monster and the green flakes exploded off of it. "Quick! Get it!" Iam commanded, and the three rushed forward, their weapons outstretched.

"N-n-n-n-no!" Garavarta cried, grasping her hair. "How did this happen? H-how could you have won!"

"RAI PUNCH!" Tiyra delivered the final blow and the dragon fell to the ground, dead.

"It's over!" Iam smiled, relieved. "We've won!"

"N-n-no!" Garavarta shrieked. "You couldn't have won! I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS!" She shrieked and shouted until finally golden rings enveloped around her, making her disappear from the area.

"Well…" Iam turned to the two. "I think I deserve an explanation. Why did you want revenge on the Prism Players?"

The two looked at one another, Tiyra looking extremely hurt. Sersen put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. Tiyra turned to Iam, nodding to Sersen.

"W-we were attacked…about two or three weeks ago," Tiyra explained. "We just wanted revenge…that's all."

"We apologize forspyingon you…" Sersen bowed to Iam in apology. "But we needed you to help us defeat that bug."

"I see…" Iam nodded. "That's why you hung out with me these past three days."

"Hey, don't make us out to be manipulators!" Tiyra scoffed. "We wanted to be your friends too! You're one cool cat Iam."

"So…we're friends?" Iam asked.

"Now that we've got these…" Sersen held up his black hand guard. "We'll be spending lots of time together."

"Hey…" Tiyra's eyebrow cocked. "Iam…there's something behind you."

Iam spun around and saw a core with a Y encrusted in it and a strange black book with a red marking on it. "Huh?" she picked them up. "A data core…but what's this?"

"A ryu book…" Prisma's voice echoed through the room. "Keep it safe, its purpose will become apparent later."

"I'm the keeper of the Ryu books…aren't I?" Iam asked, remembering what Kalen had told her, but Prisma did not answer. "I guess I'll just keep it—woah!"

The book evaporated in red mist and the next thing Iam knew, it was gone. "Wh-where did it go?"

"Inside of you…" Prisma spoke again. "It will return when it is needed…"

"This is getting weirder and weirder…"

"C'mon Iam," Tiyra smiled. "Let's get out of here! Your friends are coming back tomorrow right?"

"Right!" Iam nodded. "Have I got loads to tell them!"

* * *

"MAI!" Mai winced as her door flew open and all of her friends ran in that night. "O-our rings! Th-they just went poof!" 

"Changed into hand guards?" Mai asked, smiling and they nodded. "The rings are still there, they're just attached to guards."

"What happened?" Hiromi asked, sitting on a chair next to Mai.

"Let's just say we have two new ring holders," Mai winked.

"Man! I thought I specifically requested you tell me these things sooner!" Ryoko commanded, ruffling Mai's hair and putting her in a headlock.

"Well," Sean rubbed his hair. "Any new Prism Players?"

"Yeah…Garavarta," Iam nodded. "She's nuts. Totally bipolar."

"I knew we'd run into at least one like that," Ayumi shrugged. "Although Tikairo was pretty weird himself. Izaile too…"

"Anyway," Mai smiled. "I've also got another core and a strange Ryu book."

"Ryu book?" Souchirou asked. "What is its function?"

"Prisma said it would become apparent soon."

"Well," Hiromi smiled at Mai. "We're glad to be back."

"I'm glad you're back too," Mai nodded. "So…how was Scuba diving _really_?"

"Not half as fun as it would have been with you," Hiromi smiled and Mai returned the smile.

"So…were there any _real_ crazy hobos in the hotel?"

"Umm…"

The rest was a pretty long story…

* * *

The end of the 11th chapter! Things are really picking up now! Please review and don't forget about the Helba info I need! 

Sayonara!


	12. Grunty Jousting

Log On Chapter 12

Hey everyone! We're back with chapter twelve of Log On! I'm happy to all those who are showing their support!

But…before we begin, we have a little bit of product placement from the lovely author!

I'd like to recommend to you .hack AI Buster, a novel that's just been released in America by TokyoPop. It's got an awesome story, a quick read, and lovely pictures by Rei Izumi. You'll also meet a character from Rei Izumi's manga and learn even more about the One Sin Event!

It really is a great book, so, if you haven't read it, pick it up! It'll make you that much more of a .hack fan!

Now finally! The chapter! FOR GOD'S SAKE!

* * *

Log On! Chapter 12 – Grunty Jousting

"So Ayumi," Mai was sitting in her room, lying on her bed and talking to Ayumi over the phone. "Want to play online tonight? You guys just caught up to level 23, right?"

"Sorry Mai, can't," Ayumi told her. "Remember how Kirisawa assigned that huge project due in a few days?"

"You put it off to the last minute, didn't you?" Mai sighed and Ayumi grumbled over the phone.

"So what? The others did too!"

"You mean everyone still has to finish that project?" Mai asked skeptically. "I finished it last week!"

"Well you know Hiromi-sama; he's a bit of a slacker, even if I love him to bits," Ayumi cooed. "But the others are all procrastinating too."

"Great," Mai sighed. "So I'm stuck by myself, again?"

"Hey, hang out with Tiyra and Sersen again," Ayumi offered.

"Fine, fine," Mai sighed. "See you later Ayumi. Don't blame me if I'm level forty when you guys get back!"

"Ha, ha, very funny Mai!" Ayumi pouted. "Goodbye!"

"Bye Ayumi," Mai smiled and hung up the phone. Mai gazed over at her computer, sighed, and then turned out her light. "I'm not in the mood for playing today. I'll log on tomorrow."

* * *

The next day after school, Mai turned on her computer after finishing her school work and noticed new e-mail in her box.

"Hmm…what's this?" Mai asked, clicking on the e-mail icon. "It's from…CC Corp."

* * *

Subject: Grunty Jousting Tournament!

Sender: CC Corp

Today at 4:00 P.M., CC Corp and "The World" will be hosting the first ever Grunty Jousting tournament. Participants are to pair up into teams of two and compete in a pre-ordained area selected in the Theta server.

Grunties will be provided, rules will be explained once contestants have been signed in.

Thank you,

CC Corp

* * *

"A…what?" Mai asked. "What's a Grunty?"

It was almost 3:30, so Iam decided that she would log on and find out exactly what a Grunty was. After all, this seemed to be a big event if it was being officially hosted by CC Corp.

"Maybe…Grunties are some sort of rare item or monster!" Mai thought, stroking her chin thoughtfully.

Mai clicked "The World" icon on her desktop and was brought to the starting screen to see a few new messages. One in particular interested her.

* * *

Special Grunty Jousting

Poster: Xicado Nova

Hey, how the heck are they actually going to do this thing? I mean…you ride Grunties right? Are we just going to joust with weapons or something?

* * *

Re: Special Grunty Jousting

Poster: Monogram

I guess they'll give us jousting weapons or something. Doesn't anyone have special info from the net or something?

* * *

Re: Special Grunty Jousting

Poster: DarkSamurai

Nah, they just announced the event today, so no one's got info on it. It sounds cool. I'm gonna do it. Anyone else?

* * *

Re: Special Grunty Jousting

Poster: Gein-Gein

Hey DS! I'm doing it! Let's be partners, kay?

* * *

Re: Special Grunty Jousting

Poster: Reki, System Admin.

Hey! If you want to pair up, use e-mail! And stop asking for official info! Just find out at 4:00!

* * *

Re: Special Grunty Jousting

Poster: Seiftis

Geez, what's your problem dude?

* * *

Mai didn't read any more of the messages, even though there were at least fifteen more (most of them from Reki). She closed the boards with a few clicks of her mouse and pushed herself away from her computer.

"So…you ride Grunties?" she reasoned. "Maybe they look like horses or something?" Mai turned to the computer and smiled, pulling out her Headset and putting it on. "I don't know! Maybe I'll enter with Tiyra or Sersen!"

* * *

When Iam logged in on the Theta Server, she gasped to see that at least thirty or forty people were gathered on a certain plateau to the north east of the Chaos gate. She smiled, and realized that that must have been the Grunty stable.

She ran quickly over the rickety bridges, pushing her way through the passers-by. Finally, after what seemed like forever, she finally reached the Grunty stable.

"Ex-excuse me!" she apologized as she squeezed through the large crowd of players. "S-sorry! Pardon me!" She kept apologizing and pushing her way through until she finally got to the front of the crowd. What she saw before her made her gasp.

A Grunty was just a big brown pig.

"What a rip!" Iam sighed. The Grunty had a pig-like snout, a huge body, a large squarish head, and a small tail. It was a like a cow and a pig combined really. It was not the magnificent steed that Iam had been expecting.

Next to the Grunty was the same administrator that had been at the Valentine's Day Event. He was a wavemaster with blondish hair and a red ensemble. He held a microphone in his hand and was looking at the pressing crowd with a look of worry. "Uhh…hello! Can everyone hear me?"

A murmur of agreement soon turned into a shouting match of cheering. Many rumbled in the crowd, and the administrator began to grow even more wary of his situation. "Umm…hello players of "The World"! My name is Reki-" So he was the poster on the boards… "and I'll be the overseer of this event!"

"I thought Lord Balmung would be a special guest at this event!"

"Yeah! Where's Lord Balmung?"

"Umm…as I was saying!" Reki laughed nervously, doing his best to ignore the screaming girls. "Welcome to the Special Grunty Jousting! This event is a special test of Grunty riding skills!

"Teams will be divided into pairs, so I hope you all brought a friend today! The tournament will follow as such! All pairs will have to defeat their enemies using the special jousting weapons that will be given to you. Whoever can maneuver their Grunty and strike their opponent off his or her Grunty is the winner! For each qualifying match, only one person shall represent the team. But, every match, the resident rider must switch! Grunties shall be given randomly!"

"A partner?" Iam asked herself, then quickly scanned her friend's list. Her face fell as she realized that Tiyra and Sersen were not online. "Maybe they're at class or something…"

"Okay!" Reki called to the crowd. "Please pair up and form a line in front of me to sign up!"

Immediately, everyone started to mill in the crowd; asking for partners and teaming up with friends. Many rushed forward immediately, others searched around for partners in the large crowd. Iam sighed. "It's too bad I don't have a partner. It sounds fun."

"Okay…so…I'll team up with Ouka! Shugo, you and Rena can team up!"

Iam turned her head around to see a group of five people standing in a circle, obviously deciding on partners for the event. One was a short wavemaster girl whom Iam had seen before with Zaiten. The woman next to her was a shapely Werewolf wearing a bikini outfit and a feather boa with claws and wolf feet. Her hair was a silver color and two ears poked out of her head.

The only boy in the group had teal colored hair and wore a red hat, shirt, and baggy pants with brown boots. He was a twin blade and had a few red markings on his face.

Next to him was a girl that Iam thought she knew. She had the same character design as BlackRose, of whom Iam had met at the Valentine's Day event. But this girl was shorter and a little younger looking.

There was one other girl in the group. She looked to be a wavemaster with a green hat over her blonde hair that matched her green ensemble. She seemed to be the quiet type, not saying anything in the conversation.

"But who's Hotaru going to be with?" The werewolf asked and the wavemaster, now known to be Hotaru, looked up. "We can't leave her out! You know how much she loves Grunties."

"Th-that's okay…I don't need a partner…" Hotaru told them feebly. "I'll just watch you guys."

"But Hotaru-chan…" The girl who looked like BlackRose interjected.

Iam smiled. "Hey!" She called to the five, and they turned their heads. Mirielle's face broke into a huge smile and she bolted foreword.

"It's you! It's you! The one with the rare rings!" Mirielle smiled widely, then looked at Iam's right hand. "Oh wow! The rare ring now has a rare hand piece! I can smell that it's even rarer now!"

"Uhh…hi!" Iam smiled. "You're name's Mirielle…right?"

"Yep!" Mirielle nodded. "How's Zaiten doing? Has he got any rare treasures that I can look at?"

"Not sure. I'm Iam by the way," Iam chuckled. "But hey, do you guys need partners for the grunty tournament?"

"Well," Mirielle smiled. "I'm pairing up with Ouka," she pointed to the werewolf. "And Shugo and Rena are pairing up together." She pointed to the boy and the girl. "But Hotaru and you could team up!"

"Th-that's okay!" Hotaru blushed. "Y-You don't have to team up with me if you don't want to…"

"Of course!" Iam smiled. "I'd love to! I don't have a partner, and you seem nice!"

Hotaru blushed, then smiled gently. "O-okay! Let's enter together."

"Yay!" Mirielle cheered. "Now we all have partners! Quick, let's head over to Reki!"

The group of six nodded to each other and quickly ran over to the line behind Reki, getting into their teams. "Don't worry!" Iam smiled to Hotaru, who looked up.

"W-worry?"

"You seem tense," Iam told her. "Don't worry! It's a fun game!"

"I-I just hope I don't screw up and mess it up for you…" Hotaru mumbled.

"That's not true! We're a team," Iam winked. "We celebrate victories together and take falls together!"

"Oh look!" Mirielle smiled. "It's our turn!"

"Hey there," Reki smiled. "You two together? What's your team name?"

"Huh?" Ouka asked, turning to Mirielle. "A team name?"

"Team Rare Items!"

"No! Team Victory!"

"Team Rare Victories, got it," Reki nodded, jotting it down. The two facefaulted, then growled at one another for messing up their team name. "Head to area **Theta, Doomed Hailing Reef. **That's where the event is taking place."

"Off we go!" Ouka called to Mirielle and the two ran off towards the Chaos Gate.

"It's our turn Onii-chan!" Rena called to Shugo, pulling him forward. "What should our team name be?"

"Uhh…Team Shugo and Rena?"

"No! That's dumb! Team Dusk! That's cool sounding," Rena told Reki and Reki jotted it down.

"Head to that area I told your friends," he explained. "You know the drill."

Shugo and Rena walked off after Mirielle and Ouka, and Iam grinned as she realized it was her and Hotaru's turn. "What should be our team name, Hotaru?"

"Umm…whatever you want is fine…" Hotaru mumbled.

"Then…Team Hoam!" Iam told Reki. "It's like a mix of our names!"

"Okay, Team Hoam, head to **Theta, Doomed Hailing Reef," **Reki told them. "Be quick about it. The event's starting in about five minutes."

"Right! Let's head out Hotaru!" Iam smiled to her, grabbing her hand and leading her past the few people still milling around towards the Chaos Gate. "First place is ours for sure!"

* * *

When the group arrived at the area, they gasped to find out that the entire area had been redone for the event. The area was a grassy plane with two sides of spectator stands set up along with a small room for the administrators. The grass between the two stands were painting with white lines. It looked just like a medieval jousting tournament! Red and gold banners lined the stands, and flags stood everywhere.

"Wow!" Ouka exclaimed. "This sure is cool!"

"Look how rare it is! I'd better take screenshots!" Mirielle shouted in excitement.

"So they're doing it like a medieval tournament," Shugo observed. "Do you think they'll have us wear armor and stuff like that?"

"I doubt it," Rena shrugged. "But still…"

"What do you think the rare prize will be?" Mirielle asked, obviously completely entranced in the event.

"Who knows?" Ouka asked, sighing. "But, jousting sounds cool to me!"

"Onii-chan, look!" Rena pointed over to where a large group of people were standing. Behind them, if you craned your neck, you could see a small stage with a microphone stand. The six of them nodded to one another and ran over to the join the crowd.

"Hello and welcome!" A voice from nowhere boomed. The entire crowd turned around, searching for a trace of the mysterious voice. "This, ladies and gentlemen, players of "The World", I, Balmung of the Azure Sky, welcome you to the first ever Grunty Jousting tournament!"

In a flutter and flash of wings and light, Balmung of the Azure Sky appeared on stage behind the microphone to the screaming of the entire female half of the crowd, excluding Iam's group of course. He gave a dashing smile as Reki appeared behind him, looking quite put out that he hadn't gotten such a grand entrance.

"Does he do _every_ event around here?" Iam asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Every weird one, yeah!" Mirielle laughed, cheering with the rest of the crowd. "But Balmung is actually a really nice guy! He loves the game a lot!"

"And now, my subordinate Reki shall explain the rules of today's tournament," Balmung stepped aside and Reki stepped forward, then looked over at Balmung.

"Wait…" he whispered. "So you only wanted the microphone to look showy? You didn't actually have anything to _say_?"

"Reki, the players are waiting!" Balmung laughed, waving to the crowd and ignoring Reki to his fullest. Reki gave a great sigh and then turned to the microphone.

"Hello everyone. I'm here to explain the rules of the contest today. You've all already divided up into teams of two. Your team will be challenging other teams in a jousting tournament today. Both teams will be mounted on provided Grunties and will do their best to knock the other player off of their Grunty. The one to do so in the least amount of time is the winner."

"Then why do we need to be in pairs?" Shugo whispered.

"Each pair will alternate jousters for each match," Reki explained. "No player may joust twice in a row. The team that defeats all the other competitors shall win the Team Trophy. But, the player with the best score will be the winner of the rare prize."

"Best score?" Mirielle asked. "What does he mean?"

"Whoever has the least time for knocking their opponents off of their Grunties shall be named the Champion," said Reki. "Now--"

"And now!" Reki was easily thrown aside as Balmung jumped in front of the microphone once again, throwing his hair behind his head and smiling widely to many cheers from young girls. "We have thirty two teams in today's tournament, divided into four blocks!"

Behind Balmung, a large board popped up with the four blocks that the teams would be divided into. "Your block has been chosen randomly! Enjoy the tournament!"

The crowd cheered wildly as Balmung finished, and Iam's group sweatdropped. "What a show-off…" Iam mumbled. "But…at least he's passionate."

"Quick!" Mirielle smiled. "We have to go find out our block!"

The five others nodded and ran forward through the crowd up to the large board, where teams were already checking their spots.

"Umm…" Iam looked over the four blocks with Hotaru. "Do you see us, Hotaru?"

"N-no…"

"Yay!" Mirielle cheered. "Ouka and I are in Block C!" Just as Mirielle said those words, a small yellow flag with a black "C" appeared on her chest. She fingered it lightly. "Woah!"

The same happened to Ouka, only the flag was put in her ear. "Oh…clever…" She growled.

"Look!" Mirielle laughed and pointed forward. Iam and the others looked out to see what had to be at least forty Grunties all lined up by color order where they had entered. "I guess we get the yellow ones, Ouka! Let's go and find the best one!" Her eyes full of fire and determination, she grabbed Ouka and jumped off the stage, racing at full speed towards the Grunties.

"Oh, look Onii-chan," Rena smiled and pointed to the blue Block B chart. "We're in Block B."

Just as Rena spoke, a small blue flag appeared in Shugo's hat and her arm band. Shugo frowned that the flag had been placed in such a ridiculous place, but sighed and walked off with Rena towards the line of blue Grunties.

"Umm…Iam-san?" Hotaru spoke up.

"Just call me Iam," Iam smiled.

"Umm…all right Iam-chan," Hotaru smiled. "We're in Block D." She pointed to the red block, and as she spoke, a small red flag appeared on her sleeve, and a matching one appeared on Iam's right pant leg.

"We get red!" Iam smiled. "Let's go get a Grunty, shall we, Hotaru?"

"All right," Hotaru nodded. "I'm a little nervous."

"Why's that?" Iam asked as the two started to walk off towards the long line of red grunties with white "D's" painted on their sides.

"I hope I don't lose a match for our team," Hotaru murmured. "I wouldn't want to cause problems for you."

"You won't lose," Iam smiled widely. "You can do it, Hotaru-chan!"

"I've never been very good at competitions," Hotaru smiled, rubbing the back of her head. "But I do love Grunties…"

"Woah! You do?" Iam asked, her eyes wide. "I'm so lucky!"

Hotaru looked up, a puzzled expression on her face. "Wh-why are you lucky?"

"Because I have someone who knows a lot about Grunties on my team!" grinned Iam, and Hotaru's eyes widened. "We'll be the best!"

Hotaru gave Iam a warm smile and chuckled. "Let's go find a Grunty then."

* * *

"And now for the first match of Block B!" Reki announced. Hotaru and Iam had picked out a Red D Block Grunty for themselves and had found a spot in the stands next to Ouka and Mirielle. All the losers would sit in the stands, along with those who were waiting for their turns. "Team Dusk vs. Team Carrot!"

"That's Shugo and Rena's team!" Iam cheered.

"GO RENA!" Mirielle screamed over the crowd, jumping up in the stands as the group saw Rena riding forward on her Blue Grunty with a white "B" on the side. She was facing another Blue "B" Grunty, ridden by a tall red haired heavy-axeman with a scar over his nose.

Balmung and Reki were sitting in the royalty booth, Balmung snuggled comfortably in a red velvet throne while Reki announced the matches. "Can't I sit down?" Reki asked, looking extremely annoyed. "My legs are tired. You announce for once!"

"Reki, haven't you ever seen any medieval movies?" Balmung scoffed. "The King always sits in his throne while the announcer stands up for the entire joust."

"WHO MADE YOU KING?"

"Now all I need is a Queen," Balmung frowned. "What kind of queens are popular nowadays…?"

Reki gave a soft sigh and returned to the microphone. "Jousters Rena and Cariot!" Reki called, then lifted his hand into the air. "BEGIN!"

Rena ran forward, her lance already aimed. The Grunty sped off with her, its pudgy hooves causing a storm of dust underneath its hooves.

"Rena's starting out strong!" Ouka called out.

"But watch out!" Iam called. "That Cariot guy's coming!"

True, Cariot was charging Rena with the same fierceness as she was charging him. Both Grunties were coming closer and closer…

"RENA-CHAN, DUCK!" Hotaru screamed from the sidelines.

Rena took a dive on her Grunty and aimed her lance slightly upwards. In the next moment, the Grunties met!

Unfortunately, due to his height, Cariot's lance sailed right over Rena's head while hers landed straight in the middle of his chest, making him sail off his Grunty and onto the ground. Rena, however, trotted pleasantly to the end of the track, smiling widely.

"Winner, Rena! Team Dusk advances!"

"YEAH! Go Shugo and Rena!" Mirielle cheered from the stands, jumping up and down from excitement.

Shugo and Rena joined them in the stands a few moments later. "You guys were great!" Ouka congratulated, and Hotaru nodded.

"First match down!" Shugo sighed. "Now all we have to do is win a few more!"

"Don't mess up Onii-chan!" Rena reprimanded him. "You're next!"

"Ack! I won't, I won't!"

* * *

"The second match of Block C!"

"It's Ouka and Mirielle!" Iam told the group, pointing down to the pit where Ouka was jumping onto a yellow Grunty with a black "C" painted on the side. "Ouka's going first!"

"No way Ouka's going to lose!" Rena cheered. "She's too tough for that!"

"Team Archea vs. Team Rare Victories!"

"THAT'S NOT OUR NAME!" Both Mirielle and Ouka shouted as the entire crowd laughed uproariously.

"Jousters Yaibal and Ouka!" Reki called, "BEGIN!"

Ouka went off like a shot, her Grunty galloping faster then any other the group had seen that day. The other jouster looked frightened as the hard-core werewolf came bounding at him.

The next moment, Yaibal was on the ground and Ouka had clearly won the match without even breaking a sweat. "Too easy!" She cheered, flashing the "peace" sign to the crowd who was cheering loudly.

"Go Team Rare Victories!"

"THAT'S NOT OUR NAME!"

* * *

"I-I'm a little nervous…" Hotaru murmured. It was the second match of Block D, and she and Iam were up. They had already piloted their Grunty to the track and were deciding who would take the first match. "I don't think I can go first…"

Iam stopped, then smiled. "Okay! I'll go first! That way, I'll be the one to do the final match. Is that better on your nerves?" She asked and Hotaru nodded.

"Yes, thank you," she bowed. "I hope you'll be okay!"

"I'll be fine!" Iam nodded, mounting her Grunty and piloting it to the track where the other team was waiting.

"Team Hoam vs. Team Sushi!" Reki read, then frowned and turned to Balmung. "Team Sushi? What are people thinking?"

"Keep reading Reki, I've seen odder."

"Jousters Iam and Shiiko!" He announced. Iam looked across the track to see her opponent was a female fighter dressed in green and black. "BEGIN!"

"Giddy up!" Iam kicked the sides of her crimson Grunty and it bounded forward. She put her head to the Grunty's neck and aimed her jousting lance in front of her.

Shiiko was coming on fast, her stick also read to knock Iam off. They were coming closer, and closer. Iam could feel the wind rushing through her ears.

"Iam!" Hotaru called. "Thrust now!"

Iam thrust her jousting lance forward, and, to her surprise, felt Shiiko on the end of her lance. Shiiko was thrown off the Grunty back first, and landed straight on the ground.

"Winner, Iam!" Reki announced, and the crowd burst into applause. Iam smiled widely. She had won her first match! Only four more to go and she and Hotaru were the champions!

* * *

In the next hour, Shugo and Rena had been able to win all their matches in Block B and were officially in the Semi-Finals. Shugo had almost fallen off during the second match, only to have grabbed onto his Grunty's nose and throw his lance forward, making his opponent lose his balance. Not the most graceful victory, but at least he had won. Rena was obviously the better jouster; she had been able to defeat her next opponent with little problems and Team Dusk was only two matches away from being crowned the champions.

As for…ahem…Team Rare Victories…

"THAT'S NOT OUR NAME!"

They also had been able to advance pretty easily. Although Mirielle did not have Ouka's speed and power, she made up for it with her wit and calculation ability. She seemed to know where to aim in order to get the jouster to fall off his or her Grunty and could also dodge her opponent's lance well. Mirielle's match had gone on for three runs before she had finally clawed her opponent off his Grunty.

Ouka had intimidated her last opponent so much that they barely went four feet before Ouka's lance snatched them straight off their Grunty. Team Rare Victories…

"WE TOLD YOU, THAT'S NOT OUR NAME!"

Was officially the champions of Block C.

As for Team Hoam?

At first, Hotaru had been very nervous about the second match of Block D, but Iam had convinced her to get on the Grunty and give it a try. Surprisingly, Hotaru, probably from nerves, had gone so fast that her lance's momentum had been more then enough to send her opponent flying seven feet in the air and off his Grunty.

"Now it's my turn!" Iam told Hotaru, jumping on their Grunty. "Don't worry Hotaru! We're in the Semi-Finals for sure!"

"Team Hoam vs. Team Rain!" Reki announced. "Jousters, Iam and Light Angel! Begin!"

Iam kicked her Grunty and she started to move forward quickly towards her opponent, her lance at the ready. Unfortunately, Light Angel was going much faster then Iam, that much was obvious. Her character was small and light, making her Grunty much more maneuverable.

"Man!" Iam bit her lip. "If she's going that fast, how am I suppose to get her?"

"Iam-chan!" Hotaru called. "She's coming! Stand still!"

"Huh?" Iam called, and her Grunty skidded to a halt on her command. "What did you say Ho-"

"WINNER, IAM!" The next thing Iam knew, Light Angel and driven herself into Iam's long lance and off her Grunty. She hadn't expected Iam to just stop, and Light Angel was going so fast that she couldn't skid to a stop herself. She had plain run into it!

Iam looked down to see Light Angel on the ground and laughed out loud. "We won! We did it Hotaru!"

"Team Hoam is the champion of Block D!"

"We did it!" Iam cheered and ran over to Hotaru, who was smiling widely. "We did it Hotaru!"

"Thanks to you Iam-chan!" Hotaru gave a warm smile. "You're amazing!"

"And now!" Reki called, and in front of the "royalty" booth, a small stage appeared, each with a colored section. "The winners of the Blocks who will move on to the Semi-Finals!"

"Champion of Block A!" Reki was thrown aside as Balmung rushed forward to the microphone and began to speak. Thousands of girls screamed, but he ignored them and continued. Reki, meanwhile was glowering at Balmung. "Ryo-Oki and Ryu! Team Twilight!"

"Ryo-Oki?" Iam asked. "Why didn't I notice her?"

"Probably because we were weren't paying much attention during the Block A matches…" Hotaru reminded her softly. "None of our friends were in it, so we didn't bother."

Iam watched as none other then Ryo-Oki appeared on the Green section of the stage, carrying a Wave Master staff. Next to her was obviously Ryu, a boy Iam hadn't met.

He was a sour looking Heavy Blade with a scar over one of his eyes. He had bright green eyes and long silver hair. On his back was a long Katana. "Odd place to keep it…" Iam muttered, frowning.

"Player Ryo-Oki is…umm…a Wave Master who has beaten one opponent so far!" Reki announced, getting back up to the microphone. "Her time is 34.6 seconds!"

"Ryo-Oki! I want your member address!"

"Ryo-chan, look over here!"

"Ryo-Oki, we love you!"

Ryo-Oki sighed and shook her head. Ryu scowled at the blonde girl.

"Player Ryu is a Heavy Blade who has beaten two opponents so far!" Reki shouted. "His average time is 27.4 seconds!"

"Block B's champions!" Balmung pushed Reki out of the way once again, only to have Reki push him back.

"Players Shugo and Rena!" He panted, relieved that Balmung had given a small sulk and had returned to his velvet throne. "Team Dusk!"

Shugo and Rena suddenly appeared in the blue section of the stage next to Ryo-Oki and Ryu. Ryo-Oki smiled at them, while Ryu just frowned.

"Shugo and Rena are the winners of the limited edition .hackers characters!" Reki announced. "Player Shugo is a Twin Blade who has defeated one opponent so far! His time is 39.4 seconds!

"Player Rena has beaten two opponents so far! Her record is 29.5 seconds!"

The crowd cheered for Team Dusk, and Rena blushed pink while Shugo gave a triumphant smile.

"Now, Block C's champions! Players Ouka and Mirielle! Team Rare-"

"DON'T SAY A WORD!" The two screamed as they appeared suddenly in the yellow section of the stage. Reki sweatdropped and sighed.

"Uhh…_that_ team. Player Ouka is a werewolf who has defeated two opponents so far. Her record is 27.5 seconds!" The crowd cheered loudly as Ouka formed a fist and waved to them all. "Player Mirielle is a Wave Master who has defeated one opponent so far! Her record is 56.0 seconds!"

The crowd gave a huge cheer for the team as Mirielle blew kisses to all of them. Reki nodded and continued.

"And finally! The champions of Block D! Team Hoam!"

Iam and Hotaru felt themselves seemingly dissolving, only to find themselves rematerialized on the red section of the stage. The crowd was cheering and Reki was announcing their names.

"Players Iam and Hotaru! Player Iam is a Long Arm who has successfully defeated two opponents so far! Her average time is 34.7 seconds!

"Player Hotaru is a Wave Master who has defeated one opponent! Her average time, the lowest of the entire tournament, is 20.6 seconds!"

"Woah!" Iam laughed. "You sure were going fast in your match!"

"I-I was just nervous," Hotaru murmured. "That's the only reason I went that fast."

"Now, here are the match-ups for the Semi-finals!" Reki called. "Team Twilight vs. Team Dusk! Players Ryo-Oki and Shugo!"

Ryo-Oki gave a small gulp and Ryu looked annoyed. "I should be the one to joust. My time is lower then yours."

"Don't be mean!" Ryo-Oki scowled. "Those are the rules! I'm facing the pervert."

"I'm not a pervert!" Shugo called, his face growing red.

"Rules, schmules," Ryu sighed. "Whatever, just don't mess up. Leave the Final match to me."

"Jousters to the track!" Reki announced and Ryo jumped off the stage, Ryu following her to their Green "A" Grunty. Shugo and Rena waved to their friends on the stage and ran off towards the blue side of the track.

"You can do it Onii-chan!" Rena assured him.

"Don't screw it up!" Ryu warned her. "Remember, I'm only with you in this dumb tournament because there was no one else to pair up with."

"Will you just shut up and let me joust?" Ryo-Oki growled and the two exchanged lightning bolts.

"Jousters, ready?" Reki called. Shugo and Ryo-Oki nodded and he lowered his hand. "BEGIN!"

Ryo-Oki kicked the Grunty to make it start galloping forward, and Shugo copied the move. Now, both were moving towards each other, gathering momentum.

"You can do it Onii-chan!" Rena called.

Shugo closed his eyes and threw his lance forward. Ryo-Oki copied him, and the next thing both of them knew, they had lances in their stomachs, knocking them bck.

"ARRGH!" Shugo cried.

"OW!" Ryo-Oki grasped her stomach and tumbled off her Grunty, hitting the ground. Shugo also toppled off his Grunty.

"Is it a double-knock out?" Reki called.

"Good!" Ryu cheered. "Now I get to joust!"

"Wait a minute…" Ouka murmured. "Wait! Look, Shugo's not on the ground!"

The entire crowd looked to the Block B lane to see no sign of Shugo on the ground!

"But…but if he's not on the lawn…" Iam began.

"And if he's not on the Grunty…" Hotaru murmured.

"Then where is he?" Rena called from the end of the track. "Onii-chan?"

"Don't worry Rena! I'm fine!"

A voice came bellowing from Shugo's Grunty, but Shugo could not be seen. The entire crowd made murmurs of confusion until the Grunty came to a stop at the end of the track.

A figure dropped from under the Grunty, and from under the Grunty's large stomach crawled Shugo.

"Onii-chan!" Rena cheered.

"Lets go to the video!" Reki announced, pointing to a large screen behind him. A video began to rewind violently, then stopped just as Ryo-Oki hit the ground.

The entire crowd watched Shugo as he toppled off the back of the Grunty. "He's going to hit the ground!" Mirielle cried.

But Shugo didn't hit the ground. He grasped onto the Grunty's back leg and hoisted himself under the Grunty's stomach, grasping its sides for support!

"That cheat!" Ouka laughed. "He rode on the Grunty's stomach!"

"That's GOT to be against the rules!" Ryu shouted. "Riding on the Grunty's stomach?"

Reki turned to Balmung and the two exchanged a few words. Reki returned to the microphone. "Ahem… As Player Shugo never left his Grunty, he is officially the winner of the match!"

"WHAT THE HELL?" Ryu screamed as the crowd cheered. "He was riding on its frickin' stomach!"

"Shugo, you pervert!" Ryo-Oki shouted to Shugo. "You just knocked me off to look up my skirt!"

"I did not!" Shugo blushed, and grasped his head.

"Team Dusk advances to the finals!" Reki announced and the entire crowd erupted into cheers. "The next match! Team…you know which…vs. Team Hoam! Jousters Mirielle and Hotaru are up!"

"Oh no…" Hotaru bit her lip. "I'm up? Iam-chan…I'm really nervous."

"Don't be Hotaru-chan!" Iam assured her. "Just do what you did last match!"

Hotaru gulped and nodded. She and Iam headed off towards their red Grunty while Ouka and Mirielle ran off towards the yellow side of the track.

Hotaru mounted the red Grunty and Mirielle, with Ouka's help, climbed on to the yellow one. Hotaru gave a gulp as she faced the confident Mirielle.

"Jousters, ready?" Reki called. "BEGIN!"

Hotaru shot out like a canon; even faster then she had during the last match! Mirielle was completely dumb struck, but, none the less, she started out as well.

Hotaru's Grunty was only going faster, and Mirielle was gathering speed as well. Hotaru closed her eyes and put her lance out. Mirielle laughed and thrust hers forward as well.

Hotaru ducked at just the right time and extended her right arm just slightly. Mirielle's stomach was now completely open due to her hard thrust, and Hotaru's lance made perfect contact with Mirielle's chest, making her plunge off her Grunty and hit the green grass with a hard "thump"!

"Winner, HOTARU!" Reki shouted and the entire crowd erupted into cheers.

"Ohhh, dangit!" Mirielle pouted. "And I really wanted that rare prize!"

"That's it folks!" Reki shouted to the crowd. "It'll be Team Dusk vs. Team Hoam in the final match! Jousters Iam and Rena, please get ready!"

"You did great Hotaru!" Iam hugged her. "You're amazing!"

"I-it was just luck," Hotaru smiled weakly. "Good luck Iam-chan!"

"I'm ready!" Iam nodded to her, mounting the Crimson Grunty. "We're going to win this thing Hotaru!"

"Go get 'em sis!" Shugo cheered Rena on. "You can do it!"

"Right Onii-chan!" Rena nodded, mounting the blue Grunty. "Let's do it!"

"Jouster Rena!" Reki nodded to her. "And Jouster Iam! BEGIN!"

Rena kicked off hard, her lance ready to take Iam off her Grunty. Iam answered the challenge with her own defiant charge. Faster and faster they charge, the hooves of their Grunty's ringing louder and louder in their ears.

The crowd was holding its breath as the two charged at one another. Iam was a stream a red, Rena a stream of pink and blue. They were coming closer and closer and closer!

WHAM!

A huge sound exploded through the stadium, making both sides of the crowd gasp. Each Grunty was still moving forward, but their riders were slowly falling to the ground.

"A double knock-out!" Reki announced.

"Dang…" Iam grimaced, feeling her bruised chest. "I couldn't do it."

"Both Rena and Iam are down! A second match will ensue between Hotaru and Shugo!"

"Wh-what?" Hotaru asked, her eyes wide. "B-but I can't! What if I mess up?"

"C'mon Hotaru!" Iam called to her, slowly getting up from her spot on the ground. Shugo was already helping Rena up as well. "You can do it!"

"B-but…"

"Look Hotaru," Iam ran over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You may not realize it, but you're the best jouster in this entire tournament!"

Hotaru's eyes widened. "Th-that's silly…I always get nervous and choke up…"

"That's not true!" Iam shook her head. "Don't you remember?"

"_RENA-CHAN, DUCK!" Hotaru screamed from the sidelines._

_"Iam!" Hotaru called. "Thrust now!"_

"_Iam-chan!" Hotaru called. "She's coming! Stand still!"_

"You were giving everyone advice that led them to victory!" Iam reminded her. "Even me! I wouldn't have won that last match with Light Angel without your help!"

Hotaru looked at her feet. "But…"

"Not only that!" Iam assured her. "But you've got the best time in the entire tournament! You're the strongest jouster here! You can do it!"

Hotaru looked up at Iam. "You…you really mean it?"

"I know it!" Iam assured her. "You've got to grab life by the reigns and take charge! You're amazing Hotaru! You just have to believe that you can do it!"

Hotaru stared at Iam with wide eyes for what seemed like forever. Then, slowly, she gave a warm smile and nodded. "Let's go Iam-chan! I'm going to do my best!"

* * *

"Final match!" Reki called. "Hotaru vs. Shugo!"

Both Hotaru and Shugo had mounted their Grunties are were ready to face off against one another. Hotaru held her lance shakily, then took a deep breath and steadied herself. "Are both jousters ready?"

Hotaru gave a defiant nod, and Shugo nodded as well. Shugo nodded to Reki as well and Reki lowered his arm. "YOU MAY BEGIN!"

Hotaru wasted no time in showing off her signature speed. Off she was like a rocket, her Grunty galloping faster then ever before. Shugo was coming fast as well, his lance aimed towards Hotaru. Hotaru also readied her lance.

"C'mon guys!" Ouka yelled from the sidelines. "Give each other all you got!"

"Hotaru's going so fast!" Rena gasped. "This'll be over in seconds!"

"You can do it Hotaru-chan!" Iam screamed from the sidelines, and Hotaru nodded and gave a smile.

With one final thrust, Hotaru threw her lance forward and pinned Shugo right in the chest. His lance sailed harmlessly under her arm as he fell to the grass, defeated.

"Team Hoam is the winner!" Reki shouted and the entire stadium erupted in a maelstrom of cheers that echoed throughout the entire crowd. Hotaru gave a wide smiled and jumped off the Grunty. She gave the Grunty a hug around the neck, then ran to Iam, who she also gave a hug.

"You did it Hotaru, you won!" Iam laughed. "I knew you could do it!"

"Thank you, Iam-chan," Hotaru smiled, hugging her new friend.

"Will Team Hoam please come to the Stage to receive their prize!" Reki announced. Iam and Hotaru nodded to each other and ran over to the stage, standing next to their red Grunty who had trotted up next to them. Hotaru gave it another hug as Reki and Balmung walked down a set of stairs towards them.

"First! The team prize!" Reki announced. "Both Iam and Hotaru shall receive a Grunty Food Package with ten pieces of each Grunty food!"

Balmung passed both Iam and Hotaru a large box and Hotaru smiled widely. Iam looked at it oddly. "Grunty good?"

"And now!" Reki smiled. "It's time to see the best time in the tournament!"

The screen above them started filtering through character avatars, then stopped abruptly on the winner. "The winner with the best time is…" The crowd looked up to see none other then Hotaru pictured! "Hotaru!"

Hotaru gasped and Iam gave her a hug. "I told you! You're the best!"

"Hotaru shall receive this!" Reki snapped his fingers and in front of him materialized a magnificent Grunty. It was pure gold with brightly colored stones decorating it, not to mention a crystal crown on its head. "The Prize Grunty! A special one-of-a-kind class!"

Iam looked at Hotaru, expecting her partner to be extremely happy, but, on the contrary, Hotaru seemed slightly disappointed. "What's wrong Hotaru? I thought you loved Grunties."

"I…I do," she nodded. "But…it's just…"

"As for the runner up on Team Hoam!" Reki called. "Iam shall be awarded the winning Grunty, Crimson D!"

Iam's eyes widened as Crimson D walked over to her and gave her a playful nuzzle. "You mean…I win this?" she asked, pointing to Crimson D.

"Yep! It's your consolation prize!" Reki nodded.

"I'm getting a lot of consolation prizes lately…" Iam murmured, then smiled at Crimson D.

"That's all for this years Annual Grunty Jousting!" Balmung called, making the girls scream once again. "Thank you all for coming! See you next year!"

* * *

"Iam…?" Hotaru asked as the entire group arrived back in Dun Loireag. Iam turned around to see not only Hotaru behind her, but also the Prize Grunty. Crimson D had already galloped past Iam to explore the town. "You can have Prize Grunty if you'd like…"

"Huh?" Iam asked, her eyes wide. "Why aren't you keeping it?"

"You…you see…I already have a Grunty," Hotaru explained.

"Where is he?" Iam asked, looking around. "What is it?"

"He's not here," Hotaru shook his head. "He's…umm…I mean…"

"Can I see him?" Iam asked.

"Oh…okay," Hotaru sighed, then turned to the Chaos Gate. "**Theta, Closed, Safe Haven**!"

"Huh?" Iam asked, but it was too late. She and Hotaru had been whisked away to the area.

* * *

"He's here."

Iam got up from her spot on the ground and looked around. "I…don't see anything."

"He's right there," Hotaru pointed behind Iam, and Iam turned to see what she was talking about.

Iam gasped as she saw what had to be the largest Grunty she had ever laid eyes on. It was gigantic with a horn sticking out of its humongous head and wings. "OH MY GOD!"

"I call him Mr. Grunty," Hotaru smiled. "He can go small when he wants…but I keep him here so he can graze freely." She turned to Iam. "That's why I want you to have Prize Grunty. I already have one after all…"

"Why can't you have two?" Iam asked and Hotaru looked up. "Mr. Grunty may want a friend, you know!"

Hotaru looked at Prize Grunty who was already making his way over Mr. Grunty. Mr. Grunty gave a small sound and the two continued to eat Grunty food together. "See?"

"Thank you Iam," Hotaru bowed. "You really are a good friend."

Iam looked over at the Grunties and smiled. "Ahh…well," she gave Hotaru a warm smile. "Everyone needs a friend."

The two stood there, smiling at one another for what seemed to be the longest time. The only sounds that could be heard were the two Grunties munching away at a few mandragoras.

* * *

"Medieval Knights?" Mai asked Ayumi a few days later in Kirisawa's class. "That's your project?"

"So?" Ayumi asked, furrowing her eyebrows. "It's all about jousting and stuff! I think it's cool!"

"Jousting huh?" Mai asked, grinning. "I bet I could tell you a few things about that."

"Oh yeah right," Ayumi rolled her eyes. "Mai, you may be smart, but how much could you possibly know about Jousting?"

"The best way to win is by grabbing onto the steed's stomach."

"_What_?"

* * *

The End! I hope you all enjoyed this slightly silly chapter! I know I did!

Oh, and for Ryo and Ryu, glad to see you guys in the story! Thanks again for everyone who provided help with Helba!

As for the cookie question from a few chapters back…here's a hint:

The relationship is from a work by Rumiko Takahashi, creator of Inu Yasha and Ranma ½ .

Don't forget to review!

Sammy


	13. The Final Ring Holders

Hey guys, I'm back with Log On! I'd like to thank all the very nice reviewers who have been very supportive in their comments towards the story. Thank you all for taking the time to review the story!

Someone left a review that related one bit part to another character in a television show. Actually, that was completely a mistake. (sweatdrop) A coincidence. I've actually seen the television show that you brought up; it's the one about the teen spy, right? Yeah…that was completely a coincidence. (sweatdrops again) Actually, I imagined Shiiko to have short white hair and a cute smile. (smiles) Ahh…I do love my bit parts. There aren't a lot of allusions in this story to other television shows, games, or anime shows.

Another person said they wanted to draw fanart! SQUEEEE! I'd be so honored! My e-mail is PrettySammyNAS at aol dot com. Just change the words to symbols! Yaaaay! Thanks so much!

Anyway, in this chapter, we've got what you've all been waiting for…a tap dancing penguin! Mwahah! Uhhh…actually no. Okay, bad joke. Let's move on, shall we?

But seriously, this chapter marks the half-way point in our story! Yaaay! Rejoice and be glad, right? Anyway, read, relax, and review, cause I'm ready to write!

* * *

Log On – Chapter 13 – The Final Ring Holders

* * *

"I think I finally understand it."

Souchirou and Mai were standing in the hall after their seventh period class talking to one another. Mai had found it odd that Souchirou had followed her after class, especially since he usually followed Ayumi to her locker, or went to his own. But, before she had time to question it, the two were stationed at her locker, and Souchirou had finally opened his mouth.

"Understand what?" Mai asked curiously to the black-haired boy behind her.

"Why Ayumi-sama is so infatuated with Mimura," Souchirou explained to Mai. Mai gave an internal sigh. It was common knowledge enough that Souchirou had a huge crush on Ayumi, and that Ayumi had a huge crush on Hiromi, but Mai currently wasn't looking forward to hearing another one of Souchirou's crazy schemes to win Ayumi's heart. "I think I finally understand why."

Mai didn't respond. She didn't want to open up this can of worms.

"Aren't you going to ask my opinion?" he asked her and she sighed.

"Why?"

"Because obviously, Ayumi-sama isn't impressed with my money, intelligence, or amazing good looks," Souchirou explained. Mai had to hold in a laugh. Souchirou was her friend, but he could seriously push the limit when it came to "dork-itude", as Ayumi put it. "She's obviously interested in Mimura because he has something I don't."

"Like brown hair?" Mai asked and Souchirou shook his head.

"I considered that, but, take this into account. There are many males in their first year of High School who have brown hair, and yet, Ayumi-sama has chosen Mimura over all of them. No, it is obviously for another reason."

"He's got blue eyes?"

"The previous argument follows for that reason as well," Souchirou sighed, adjusting his large coke-bottle glasses. "And Mimura isn't involved in any…how do you say…athletics either. He, in fact, is not involved in any school clubs or activities."

"Then why do you think Ayumi likes Hiromi?" Mai asked, closing her locker and placing her books in her backpack for her last class.

"I think it has something to do with 'The World'."

"'The World'?" Mai asked, skeptical. "What, you think Ayumi likes twin-blades? Impossible, she liked Hiromi before she knew he played the game."

"So she says…" Souchirou smirked. "But, I have a theory. I see no way that I can win her heart with my physical form, as I cannot change that…" he reasoned. "At least without spending many, many hours at a disgusting public gym or changing my beautiful face."

Mai snorted, but luckily, Souchirou didn't hear.

"But what if I were to become impressive on 'The World'?" he reasoned and Mai looked at him oddly.

"You're a Prism Hacker, how much more impressive can you get?" Mai asked.

"Yes, that is true; I am a ring holder. But so is Mimura," Souchirou reminded her. "I, instead, think that if I were to impress Ayumi-sama with a rare item or a rare event, then she would hold me in higher regard."

"Well, you have loads of rare items in your storage don't you?" Mai asked him, remembering how Souchirou's character, Zaiten, was a Rare Hunter. "Just give one of them to her."

"Alas, a normal rare item seems to be not rare enough for Ayumi-sama," Souchirou sighed. "When I offered my Golden Grunty, she simply scoffed at it. I'm going to have to find something even rarer then that."

"Well, good luck, I guess," said Mai, making her way into her class. "But you're going to be late if you don't get your books."

Souchirou glanced at the clock, gulped, then sped off towards his locker before he was late for eighth period. Mai couldn't help but let a giggle escape as she watched him run out of sight.

"What's so funny?" a voice from behind her asked. She turned around to see Ayumi staring at her oddly. "What were you talking to Souchi-dork about?"

"Ohh, nuttin'," Mai grinned. "He's just babbling as usual."

"I swear, his dork-itude is off the scale today!" Ayumi sighed, a light smile on her lips. "C'mon let's sit down! The faster we sit through Biology, the faster I can go home!"

"Yeah, yeah," Mai smiled at her friend, then sat down next to her as the bell rang.

* * *

"Hey Hiromi, what's up?"

"Nuttin' Pops," Hiromi looked up at his Uncle, brushing his brown bangs out of his eyes. Hiromi sat at Start Button, pouring over a Math textbook, his eyes slightly glazed over. "Just studying for a Math test."

"Heh, since when have you been such a scholar?" his Uncle asked curiously, walking behind the counter to arrange some merchandise.

"Well…Dad's working late tonight, and I didn't have anything better to do…" Hiromi mumbled, as if coming up with an excuse. "I just thought I might as well get above a 'C' on this next one."

"Your Dad's proud of you, Hiromi," his uncle smiled at Hiromi, and Hiromi looked up. His uncle grinned. "Really proud. Told me so himself. Said that you were an upright young man."

Hiromi didn't respond and he returned to his book, flipping pages absent-mindedly. "Sure…upright young man…"

"Sorry we're late, boss!" The door of the store flew open, the tiny bell at the top of the glass door giving a small "ring". Two figures dressed in light coats walked through the door: Sota and Fuko. They both looked flustered, as if they had run there.

"Sota's car wouldn't start so we were late coming here from the University!" Fuko told him, taking off her coat.

"Ahh, no problem," Hiromi's uncle smiled. "I'll be in the back. You two run the counter. Today's kind of a slow day, but the elementary and Junior High kids should be arriving any minute now."

"Hey Hiromi, what's up?" Sota asked, shaking his mane of dark brown hair away from his dark eyes.

"Nuttin much Sota," Hiromi sighed, giving Sota a casual "high-five" as he walked behind the counter.

"Where are Mai and the others?" Fuko asked.

"They went home after school. Big test tomorrow in math," Hiromi explained, pointing to his open math book.

"You may not believe me, but I'm taking college calculus right now," Sota boasted. "I could help you out."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm fine," Hiromi smiled. "So, what're you guys up to nowadays?"

"Nothing much," Fuko smiled. "Class of course. I've been pretty tied down with my Semester Project for computer programming too."

"What are you doing for your project Fuko?" Hiromi asked.

"Fuko here, although she has some personality problems, is pretty sweet with computers," Sota grinned, only to be greeted by a sharp whack on the head from Fuko. "Ow! I was just kidding!"

"I'm practicing with operating systems, Hiromi," Fuko explained.

"Operating systems?" Hiromi asked. "But Altimit is the only system that's allowed nowadays. Ever since Pluto's Kiss in 2005 and the .hackers event that happened five years ago."

"That was ten years ago," Fuko reminded him. "And ever since the new technology council was formed…"

"The United Technology Organization?" Hiromi asked and Fuko nodded.

"Yep. I've heard they're going to allow a new operating system on the market," Fuko smiled. "But Altimit is trying to convince the U.T.O that their system is the only one that could survive another Pluto's Kiss disaster."

"Money-mongrels," Sota murmured.

"I don't know…" Fuko smiled. "There was talk of a new system five years ago, but Altimit won out then as well. It could be many years before we return to the old days of competing OSes."

"And Fuko here wants to design one," Sota smiled to her.

"True, true," Fuko smiled. "What, you think it's like having a dream to be beauty queen or something?"

"Nah, with your looks, that's an impossibility!" Sota laughed, then ducked quickly as a large box came flying towards him. "Woah!"

"You deserved it, jerk!" Fuko snarled.

"Hey Sota, what are you doing in college?" Hiromi asked curiously.

"Me?" Sota asked, pointing to himself. "Well…Fuko and I are both first-years, so we don't technically have majors yet, even though Fuko's going to major in Computer Programming starting next year."

"What are you interested in?" Hiromi asked.

"Art," Sota told him. "I actually want to become a visual artist one day."

"That's really awesome that you both have dreams for the future," Hiromi smiled.

"What about you Hiromi?" Fuko asked and Hiromi looked up. "I mean, I know you're still just a first year in High School, but what do you want to do with your life?"

"Uhh…I'm not sure…"

"Well, what do you like to do?" Sota asked. "Like, what do you do at school?"

Hiromi paused and looked back down at his text-book. "Nothing. I don't do anything at school. I really don't like to do anything." With that, he shut his text book and walked over to the Parlor. "I'm going to play for a bit. Hope you don't mind."

"Uhh…'course not," Sota nodded, looking slightly worried. Hiromi didn't waste any time putting on his headset and logging in to the game. Sota shot a glance at Fuko and she returned it.

"Do you think something's wrong?" Fuko asked quietly, dragging Sota into the back of the store.

"Not sure. Funny, he doesn't usually act like this."

"I know…do you think something's going on?"

"How should I know?" Sota sighed, scratching his head. "I'm only nineteen. I'm not a Dad. I'm not responsible enough to be one."

"Damn straight," Fuko smirked, then frowned. "Speaking of responsibility, you stood me up last night!"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"We were supposed to meet at that area last night to check to see if the rumor was true, but you never showed up!"

"That was last night? Oops! Sorry about that…"

"Seriously, Sota…"

"So…was the rumor true?"

"…Yep."

"Tight! Okay…so what day and time should we meet?"

"Check your e-mail tonight; I'll message you."

* * *

"So…exactly how many Prism Players have we got so far?"

"Eight. Exactly the same number of Ring Holders."

"But Kalen said there were ten of each of us, right?"

It was the next day, and Ayumi, Mai, and Ryoko all sat in Gym the next day, pouring over a notebook that Mai had brought out, containing notes and diagrams. It was a free day in Gym, and the girls had decided to take the day off to scour over strategy.

"That's right Ayumi," Mai nodded, opening her book. "So that means that two more of each group exist."

"But we haven't found our final Ring Holders, have we?" Ryoko asked, biting her thumb. "The last two have yet to be found."

"Well…so far we have…" Mai opened up a page in the notebook to reveal a two column chart. The tops of the columns read "IG" for "In Game" and "RL" for "Real Life". "Iam, that's me; Orizo, that's Hiromi; Chikoro, Ayumi; Zaiten, Souchirou in real life; Gabriella, that's you Ryoko; Achean, that's Sean; and Tiyra and Sersen who are unknown at the moment."

"Those two sure are mysterious…" Ayumi murmured, furrowing her brow. "They won't let on anything about who they really are or anything."

"I think they know one another in real life…" Mai suggested. "They deny it, but something tells me they have some sort of relationship."

"Maybe they're friends," Ryoko suggested.

"Or brother and sister!" Ayumi giggled. "Sersen does tease Tiyra a lot!"

"Maybe," Mai smiled, then turned slightly grave. "As for Prism Players…" She flipped the page to a chart of Prism Players. The "RL" column for the team was filled with question marks. "Circeca, the blue Werewolf."

"Izaile, the golden yellow Heavy Axeman…" Ayumi murmured.

"Then there's Koga," Mai reminded Ayumi. "The green clad Fighter kid."

"And then there was Ryuin, the violet Long Arm who Circeca saved awhile back," said Ryoko.

"That creepy Yusena, the orange-colored Twin Blade," Ayumi grimaced. "She was nuts."

"But more nuts was that white Wavemaster, Tikairo," Mai brought up, shivering. "He was sinister."

"How about that bi-polar girl you, Tiyra, and Sersen fought?" Ryoko asked Mai. Mai nodded to her.

"Garavarta was her name. She was in black, and a blade master," Mai frowned. "And…then there's their leader. The Red-Clad Heavy Blade, Moyotu."

"Not to mention the last two that have yet to show their ugly mugs," Ryoko growled, punching her fist into her other hand. "We can only guess what _they_ hold up their sleeves."

"But I'm more concerned about our last two Prism Hackers," Ayumi remarked to her two comrades. "How can we be sure we'll even find them?"

"Well…in the past, they've all shown up sooner or later," Ryoko reminded Ayumi. "I guess all we can do is wait."

"Ryoko is right," Mai said, standing up from her spot on the bleachers. "As far as I can see, there's no other way to search for them. The Prism Players will come after us sooner or later."

"Let's just hope it's later…" Ayumi murmured, narrowing her eyebrows, staring at her two friends, all three looking anxious.

* * *

"You know…" Sota brought up the next morning at Start Button. All six were sitting in their usual seats, Hiromi now much more cheerful then before. "You guys come in here almost every other morning, yet we hardly ever sell you anything. The boss'll fire us if you guys don't start paying up."

"Oh yeah right," Mai scoffed. "You two are here every day. He'd never fire you."

"We just got a new shipment of that jewelry you liked so much, Mai…" Sota smirked at her bracelet that Hiromi had gotten her for Christmas. "Want to see it?"

"This bracelet cost 5,000 yen…your jewelry is way overpriced."

"Hey, hey, hey! That's special technological jewelry! Of course it's expensive!"

"Sota! Stop fooling around and help me arrange the merchandise!" Fuko called to Sota from the front wall of the store.

"I'm talking to Hiromi and the others," Sota drawled.

"You ought to be ashamed of yourself! Using High School students as an excuse to skip work?" Fuko asked, sighing. "I'm sorry kids, but you're a bad influence on Sota."

"Fuko, you're only angry because of what happened yesterday in class," Sota grinned, then frowned dramatically. " 'Kaji! Wake up! I can't believe you're not listening the lesson!'" He shouted, obviously impersonating his professor.

"Yeah! And then Professor Ikeda got mad at ME!" Fuko snarled. " 'Ikibana-san, keep Kaji in line, won't you? You're supposed to make sure he's paying attention!' How in the hell are you MY responsibility all of a sudden?"

"Fuko, you act like an old woman," Sota grinned, and Fuko glared daggers at him. "You're only nineteen! Lighten up!"

"THIS is what I mean! You're so weird!" Fuko sighed.

"Hey…guys…speaking of jewelry…" Sota murmured. The six looked over at him, and he pointed to Mai's right hand. She looked down and realized he was staring at her hand guard. "I've been wondering about those weird hand guards you've got on."

"Huh? These?" Mai asked, growing slightly worried. "Umm…" Sean was already placing his motorcycle gloves over his own hand-guard. "We uhh…"

"Didn't you have rings before?" Fuko asked. "Don't you think you're getting pretty flashy?"

"They've still got the rings," Sota grasped Hiromi's hand and looked at the blue ring on his pointer finger. "They're just attached to the hand guard."

"We…uhh…" Hiromi stumbled, looking for an answer.

"You didn't get these from another gamestore did you?" Sota asked, narrowing his eyes. "I can't believe you'd betray your own uncle Hiromi!"

"We didn't buy them at another gamestore!" Hiromi insisted, becoming slightly frustrated at Sota's persistence. "We…uhh…"

"We joined a club."

The group blinked, then turned their heads toward the speaker: Ryoko. Ryoko grinned. "Yep! We joined a special club. All members get a handguard."

"A club huh?" Fuko asked, smiling. "What kind of club?"

"Uhh…it's kind of one of those 'you have to know what it is to know what it is' things," Ayumi told them, catching on quick. "Just an exclusive club."

"Exclusive…I got it," Sota smirked. "Whatever; just kid's stuff, right Fuko?"

"Oh yeah Sota, THEY'RE the kids. You were the one throwing rubber duckies at me when we went shopping for a new mat for my bathroom."

"Well hey…you're such an ugly duckling," Sota smirked, only to be hit on the head with a large box thrown by Fuko. "HEY! I meant that in a nice way!"

The group turned to Ryoko, who smiled at them, then gave a wink. They smiled back, then gave a short laugh as Fuko and Sota continued to argue.

* * *

"Mai! Mai!"

It was the next day of school, and Mai had just gotten out of class. She turned around to see none other then Souchirou running towards her, his glasses askew, a wide grin spread across his face. "I'm glad I caught you!" he panted, holding his knees. "I have excellent news!"

"What's that?" Mai asked, smiling.

"I have finally found a way to impress to Ayumi-sama!" He grinned. "I've heard it on the rumor message boards on the "The World" official forum."

"What's that?" Mai asked, curious.

"It seems that today, at five o' clock, CC Corp is giving away a very special prize in a special event!" Souchirou grinned. "Only ten people will achieve the prize! I MUST win!"

"Heh, great! Do you want me to help?" Mai asked. Souchriou nodded.

"As far as the rumors go, it's a party event. I'll need a few friends to come along. I've decided to recruit the most level-headed members of the Prism Hackers. Mr. McGuire has already agreed to join me on my quest."

"You don't have to call Sean "Mr. McGuire"…"

"You're right. The American prefix is silly. We're in Japan, aren't we? McGuire-san has already agreed to join me on my quest."

"The prefix or suffix isn't the point I was trying to make…" Mai sweatdropped.

"Meet me on "The World" at three thirty today after school! Please be punctual!" Souchirou smiled, adjusted his glasses, then walked off, a certain spring in his step. Mai had wondered what exactly she had gotten herself into.

* * *

When Mai logged onto her computer, she noticed a five new e-mails in her box. "Woah…who sent me all this e-mail?" she wondered out loud. She opened up the box, then sighed to see that four were from Zaiten, all with the subject: "Please Be Punctual."

One was from Achean. She opened it and read the message:

* * *

Mai:

Hey…Souchirou roped you into this too? Oh well…we might get something cool.

-Sean

* * *

Mai giggled slightly, deleted Zaiten's e-mail, then clicked on "The World" icon. She noticed plenty of new board messages, most under the subject of "Rumor Event". She decided she didn't have time to read all forty-two responses, so she clicked the "Back" button on her browser, placed on her headset, and clicked on "The World".

* * *

As Iam materialized in Dun Loireag, she saw Achean waiting for her in front of the blue Chaos Gate. He was leaning against a pillar, looking as though he was about to fall asleep. "Hey there, Achean."

"Hi Iam," Achean grunted. "Is Zaiten here yet?"

"He sent me four e-mails reminding me to be on time…" Iam said, puzzled. "I doubt he'd be late."

"You got four? I got seven…"

"Heh? Really?"

"**Yeah.**" **(Bold text is English) "It sucked."**

Iam didn't really understand what Achean had said, but she just gave a sigh and walked over to another pillar and leaned against it, waiting for their green-clad friend to make his appearance.

"Did you check out the board messages?" Achean asked her.

"No," Iam shook her head. "There were too many; I didn't want to be late."

"They were all about this rare event," Achean explained to her. "Seems loads of rumors have been going around."

"Rumors?"

"About the prize," Achean told her. "It's exclusive, that much is for sure. Only ten players are going to win. Only one person per party."

"So we don't get the prize?" Iam furrowed her brow. "Oh well. Zaiten might be able to sell it and split the GP with us."

Achean shook his head.

"No?"

"No. It seems that the prize isn't sellable. It was leaked from CC Corp that it won't be a sellable item."

"…So a lot of people are going to try to win this thing…" Iam murmured, looking worried. She paused, as if waiting for Achean to finish. He didn't, so she continued. "That means that the Prism Players might show up."

"Well…that'll be the first time we've used these…" He held up his hand guard that was attached to his orange thumb-ring.

"Yeah…" Iam gazed at her own, nodding.

"Friends! The Great and Powerful Zaiten has arrived!"

A series of golden rings appeared in front of the two, and Zaiten appeared, panting. Souchirou obviously was typing the /pant command over and over. Zaiten brushed his long brown bangs out of his eyes and stared at his two comrades. "Hello there! I apologize for making the two of you wait for me. I was digging up some information on the event today."

"Find anything?" Achean asked, standing up straight.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did!" Zaiten grinned. "It seems that the event is taking place at **Theta, Malevolent Nightmarish Poppy**. The area won't be announced until 5:00 P.M, but all those who get this official scoop from CC Corp can go and start the event whenever they please!"

"Cool!" Iam grinned. "It's only 4:30. We should get a head start."

"Great minds think alike!" Zaiten smiled to Iam. "I was thinking exactly the same thing, Iam-san."

"All right…" Achean stepped forward to the Chaos Gate. "Zaiten, you be the leader of the party."

"Oh! Oh yes, let me send you invitations…" Zaiten paused, and Iam's screen lit up with a message of "Zaiten has requested you to join his party!". She clicked "Accept" and noticed Zaiten's face graphic and stats at the bottom of her screen. Achean soon joined the party as well, and the three were ready to go.

"Now, onward to **Theta, Malevolent Nightmarish Poppy**!" Zaiten shouted to the Chaos Gate, and the three were warped away in a flash of golden rings…

* * *

Despite its slightly foreboding name, the area that they had warped to was a pretty one. It had tall trees and bright green grass. Redwood surrounding them, and a few Piney Apples were squawking to the side of the party. Zaiten wasted no time in moving forward. "We must make haste, friends!"

"What's the big rush?" Iam asked, following Zaiten, her spear clutched in her hands. "I thought that we had special insider info."

"Yes, but others may have achieved this information," Zaiten told her. "I believe it is safe to say that at least twenty other people could have accessed this area name."

"Watch out!" Iam shouted as they hit a golden ring. A large moth emerged from it, and Achean wasted no time in drawing his sword and attacking. Iam followed him, hacking and slashing with her spear. Zaiten drew his sword and hit the moth for heavy damage.

"We must dispatch of this quickly!" Zaiten shouted over the sounds of battle. "We have no time to waste!"

"But this is a weird field area!" Iam told him. "It's made of rooms, just like the dungeons!"

"It obviously was made that way for a reason…" Achean murmured. "Vak Don!" He cast, and the moth fell to the ground, twitching, then finally disappearing. "We'll have to face monsters in order to get to the event. Everyone is in the same boat as us…don't sweat it."

"Fine!" Zaiten frowned. "Then onward!"

* * *

The field had been much larger then Iam had expected. Every section of forest had another portal in it, and they grew harder and harder as they moved along. "Wooth!" Iam sighed, wiping her brow as they finished off another portal. "That one was tough!"

"Yes…they're growing in difficulty as we move through this forest, are they not?" Zaiten inquired, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Yeah…I guess it's to make sure no newbs try to get the prize," Achean shrugged. "We're barely able to handle these."

"Well, at least the circles respawn every time you enter an area with a different party, so everyone else is in the same pickle as us," Iam smiled.

"Hey! Thanks for clearing away that portal!"

The three turned their heads only in time to see a brown blur and an indigo streak run by them and into the next area. "We owe you one, suckers!" shouted the brown blur just as they disappeared.

"Tail-gaiters!" Zaiten shrieked. "They were following us the entire time!"

"What jerks…" Iam frowned. "Oh well! Since they past us, that must mean that the dungeon is close."

"ONWARD! I refuse to have those two defeat us!" Zaiten growled, his face turning red from frustration.

"Fine, fine…" said Achean, walking through the stone gate and into the next area.

* * *

"Welcome to the "N.J.C"!"

The three arrived in the area to see a downwards staircase leading to the dungeon ahead of them. In front of them was a short girl with brown curls and golden armor. She was smiling shyly, a microphone in her hand. "My name is Ruta, and I'll be the administrator for this event."

"Hello Ruta-san," Zaiten smiled, stepping forward. "I hate to hurry you, but I was wondering if you could explain to us the rules of this event quickly."

"I understand," she smiled lightly. "The rules are simple. All you need to do is make it through the dungeon to the final level. The first ten parties to do so will win the special "N.J.C" prize."

"What does "N.J.C" stand for?" Iam asked.

Ruta smiled. "That's the other part of the event. You have to figure it out as you go down into the dungeon. Only those who correctly guess the prize will receive it."

"That seems simple enough. Thank you Ruta-san," Zaiten bowed, the sprinted down into the dungeon, his two party members following him.

Iam paused, turned around and looked at Ruta, who was smiling. She smiled back, then ran back down into the dungeon.

Ruta's face immediately changed to a frown. "That girl in red was one of the players that was trapped inside the closed-off area. I was sure that she would get herself killed in there…something…is very strange about her…" She smiled. "I shall have to inform Miss Emerika."

* * *

"Hah! These monsters are nothing!" Zaiten smirked as the group made their way down to the second level of the dungeon. "And I've made sure to check all the areas we've been in! Not a tail-gaiter in sight!"

"That's good," Iam nodded. "Who were those two that were following us?"

"Not sure…" Achean shrugged. "Whoever they were, they're gone now."

"Hey guys! We finally found you!"

The three turned around, and their jaws hit the floor. Following them were Orizo, Chikoro, Tiyra, Sersen, and Gabriella, all looking rather tired out. "Why you just run off like that?" asked Orizo.

"Run off…like what?" Iam asked, blushing the color of her armor. "W-we were doing the event with Zaiten."

"Back at the Chaos Gate!" Tiyra reminded them.

"_I'm bored…" Sersen sighed, Tiyra leaning against his shoulder. They had met up with Orizo, Chikoro, and Gabriella, who had all logged on about an hour ago. "There's nothing to do, I swear."_

"_How about that event on the boards?" Tiyra suggested to her wolf-friend._

"_Looks boring. I didn't even read all of the message," Sersen grinned. "And anyway, it's a limited prize event. Your legs are so fat, we'd never get there before everyone else."_

"_YOU!"_

"_OW! That HURT!"_

"_Will you two stop clowning around?" Gabriella demanded, her eyes narrowing. _

"_I don't mind just hanging around with you, Orizo-sama," Chikoro nuzzled into Orizo's neck, and Orizo quickly jumped off the stone he was sitting on to avoid her. _

"_Uhh…let's see if the others are on…" Orizo suggested, bringing up his friend's list. "Oh look! They are! I wonder where they are."_

"_Let's head over to the Chaos Gate and check it out to see if they've come through," Tiyra smiled. "We haven't seen cute lil Iam in a while, have we Sersen?"  
_

"_Yeah, let's head on over," Sersen agreed with his white-clad fighter friend. With that, the five got up and made their way over the bridges towards the Chaos Gate. With every step, the five got closer and closer towards what seemed to be three colored blurs._

"_Hmmm…what's that?" Chikoro asked, pointing. "Oh wow! I think it's them!" _

"_Hey Iam!" Orizo raised his hand and waved, but the three paid them no mind. _

"_All right…" Achean stepped forward to the Chaos Gate. "Zaiten, you be the leader of the party."_

"_Oh! Oh yes, let me send you invitations…" Zaiten paused, then smiled as the three obviously formed a party. "Now, onward to **Theta, Malevolent Nightmarish Poppy**!" Zaiten shouted to the Chaos Gate, and the three were warped away in a flash of golden rings._

"_Hey! They just ditched us!" Tiyra frowned. "How dare they ditch such a cute chick?"  
_

"_Yeah, Gabriella is looking fine today," Sersen smirked, only to be whacked over the head by Tiyra._

"_I meant ME, and that's not the point!"_

"_Well, they're going to **Theta, Malevolent Nightmarish Poppy**," Orizo smiled. "Let's just follow them. They're probably leveling up."_

"_Sure!" Sersen nodded. "Let's go, shall we, kids?"_

"And here we are," Sersen smiled, shrugging. "Although we were a bit surprised to find this was the area for the event."

"So let's do the event together!" Chikoro suggested. "It'll be more fun that way!"

"NO!" Zaiten screamed, and his seven comrades stepped back from surprise. "How am I ever supposed to prove my strength to you, Chikoro-sama, if you help me obtain this rare prize! I must go on with only Achean and Iam-san!"

"Huh…prove your strength?" Chikoro asked, narrowing her eyes. "What the heck?"

"Quickly! We are wasting time!" said Zaiten, waving his hand melodramatically and sprinting into the next room, leaving the other seven flabbergasted.

"Umm…how about you guys just follow at a distance?" Iam asked. "This is pretty important to Zaiten."

"Yeah, yeah, we get it," Sersen sighed. "We'll just follow you guys, shall we?"

"I guess I'm for that," Orizo shrugged. "Seems Zaiten is out to prove his manly pride."

"He's only being an idiot," Chikoro frowned, making the others turn their heads toward her. "Does he really think winning this stupid event will impress me? He's only acting stupid by not letting us help."

"He…tries really hard to get you to notice him, you know?" Iam asked her. "You should try to be nicer to him."

Chikoro paused. "Nuh uh."

Iam fell over. "WHAT? I thought you were going to regret your past actions and vow to be nicer or something!"

"What is this, a cliché fanfic?" Chikoro sighed. "No, I don't like Zaiten that way. He's a dork. I choose who I'm nice to."

"Fine, fine, whatever," Iam sighed. "Anyway, Achean and I have got to catch up with Zaiten before he gets into trouble. Just follow our lead, but stay out of Zaiten's way."

"Whatever," Chikoro shrugged. "I suppose we should follow the dork…"

* * *

They had made it to the fourth level of the dungeon, Chikoro and the others staying neatly to the side while the party of Iam, Zaiten, and Achean continued to fight their way through the monsters.

"JUK SLASH!" Zaiten shouted, bringing his katana down on the Golem Monster, destroying it. "Hah! Did you see that move Chikoro-sama?" he turned to face her, then stopped. "No! I must resist! I must act as though Chikoro-sama is not behind me."

"Uhh…why?" Iam asked.

"Because I might lose sight of my goal if I acknowledge such beauty standing behind me," Zaiten sighed dreamily and Chikoro stuck out her tongue at him. "Anyway! Onward and downward!"

"By the way, Zaiten, have you thought about the second part of the challenge?" Achean asked, stoic as usual. Zaiten stopped in his tracks and gave a small gulp.

"Ummm…actually, to tell the truth, I have not."

"We're supposed to figure out what 'N.J.C' stands for…" Iam told them. "It's the prize of the event."

"Never Joking Clowns?" Zaiten guessed, and Achean gave him a skeptic look. "What?"

"You're joking right?" Achean sighed. "How about… Northern Japanese Coast?"

"How can you 'win' the Northern Japanese Coast?" Iam asked. "And which island are you talking about? Honshu? Hokkaido?"

"Okay…then New Jersey City?" Achean guessed. "But there are a lot of cities in New Jersey."

"Speaking of New Jersey, where do you live in America, Sean?" Iam asked.

"San Francisco." (The Author is not from San Francisco)

"Umm…that's in…which state? Arizona?"

"California."

"Oh yeah! Have you ever seen the Golden Gate Bridge?"

"A million times…duh…I live there."

"Are sports popular in San Francisco? What about baseball?"

"I'm a Giants fan."

"You like the Yomomuri Giants? But you're an American."

"The San Francisco Giants, not the Yomomuri Giants." (The author is not a Yomomuri or San Francisco Giants fan. The author prefers the Chicago Cubs and the Hanshin Tigers.)

"Oh! I didn't know there was a Giants team in America!"

"WILL YOU TWO STAY ON TOPIC!" Zaiten shrieked, and Iam sweatdropped. Achean just shrugged.

"Whatever."

"Anyway!" Zaiten growled. "We have to figure out what the prize is later! We still have the last level of the dungeon to go through! We don't want to fall behind!"

"All right then," Iam nodded. "Let's go then!"

* * *

The three had made their way down to the fifth level of the dungeon, Chikoro and the others following them at a large distance as not to distract Zaiten. The party had just dispatched of another batch of enemies, and Zaiten was already ready to move onto the next room.

"Come! We have no time to waste!" Zaiten called to his teammates. "We're almost to the final room of the event! Just two more rooms to go!"

"Great! But we still haven't figured out the clue…" Iam frowned. " 'N.J.C'? What could it stand for?"

"…I'm…not sure," Achean admitted.

"If only we had a clue; that would be most beneficial," Zaiten bit his thumb.

"You want a clue?"

The party turned around to see two players near the door of the room. The other five had stepped to the side to let the two through.

The player that had spoken was the female member of the duo. She was a Wavemaster with a long staff in the shape of a cross. Her hair was black and was placed in two braids that fell to her mid back. She wore thick glasses and an indigo hat and dress, along with short indigo boots. Her skin was pale, and she had two circular markings on her legs.

Next to her was a tall blademaster with scruffy golden brown hair wearing brown leather armor and golden pants. His sword was attached to his belt, and his grin was wide.

"You want a clue to the event?" the woman asked again.

"Hey…wait!" Iam frowned. "I remember you two!"

"You do Iam-san?" Zaiten asked. "Funny, I don't remember seeing these players."

"You two were tail-gaiting us back in the field!" Iam accused. Zaiten and Achean looked at the two, and realized that the brown blur and the indigo streak were there in front of them. "How'd you get behind us?"

"We backtracked and followed you again," the man said. His voice wasn't as deep as Iam would have thought; it had a playful quality to it. He grinned. "We wanted to apologize for tail-gaiting you."

"He's lying," the woman sighed. "We just wanted to see if you all were after the prize."

"No," Zaiten shook his head, and stepped forward. "I am the only member of this group that is after the famed 'N.J.C.'."

"What about that clump?" the man asked, pointing to the other five now stuffed into a corner.

"We're not after the prize either," Orizo assured him. "We're just…uhh...watching them."

"So only one person…" the man smirked. "Well…what do you think of that Vizota?"

"Well, we can't be sure to trust them completely. And since only ten people are receiving the prize, we have to be careful," Vizota smiled. "But…they seem nice. Give them a hint, Barai."

"Okay…" Barai nodded, and stepped forward. "None of us are 'N.J.C.'s, that's for sure. In fact, were 'O.J.C.'s."

"More initials?" Iam asked. "I'm still confused."

"Hey, we gave you a hint," Barai grinned. "Now it's up to you to figure it out. Now, if you'll excuse us, we've got a prize to win." Barai turned to Vizota, nodded, and the two of them started to run off towards the door.

"Wait…" Achean stopped the two of them with his voice, and they turned to face him. "I thought only one person per party could win the prize."

Barai and Vizota smiled. "We're over level fifty," Vizota smiled. "We can handle these dungeons solo. We're not in a party."

"Then why'd you tail-gate us?" Achean asked again.

"Barai here was too lazy to fight the monsters himself, so he suggested we follow you!" Vizota growled. "You're always so lazy! I swear!"

"Hey! I'm tired!" Barai yawned. "Cut me some slack! Anyway, it was good experience for these newbies."

"Anyway, Barai, we've got no time to chat," Vizota told her partner and he nodded. "Nice talking to you guys! Hope you figure out the clue!"

With that, the two nodded to each other and sprinted through the door into the next room. Zaiten, Iam, and Achean stared after them, frowning. "Funny…" Iam muttered. "That clue they gave…I still don't get it."

"What did he mean that we're all 'O.J.C's'?" Achean asked. "Seems weird to me."

"We must concentrate on it in the next room!" Zaiten commanded his team. "I cannot let those two take the last two prizes! Quickly!"

The three filed out of the room, passing through the stone door. The five in the corner nodded to each other and started to follow them. Chikoro, however, did not follow. She just stood there, smiling to herself.

"You coming, Chikoro-sexy?" Sersen asked, only to be punched in the head by Tiyra.

"What's up Chikoro?" Gabriella asked.

"I figured it out."

There was a pause. "Figure _what _out?" Orizo asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Their clue," Chikoro smiled. "The prize. I know what it is."

"Huh?" Orizo asked. "How'd you figure it out?"

"Don't you remember that event we did before, Orizo-sama?" Chikoro smiled. "When Izaile showed up? I told you how good I am at word puzzles and clue hunts. It was a simple deduction."

"We should hurry and tell Zaiten and the others!" Orizo smiled to her.

"No."

Orizo turned back to Chikoro just as she walked past him, her golden staff drawn. "If Zaiten is going to have such a big head that he won't ask me for help, then he won't _get_ my help."

"But he might not win the prize if you don't tell him!" Tiyra told her.

"So? Not my problem," said Chikoro coldly before walking into the next room, leaving the other four alone.

"…what's her problem?" Sersen asked.

"No idea," Tiyra sighed.

* * *

"The last room, and there is not a portal in sight!" Zaiten grinned widely. "This truly is my lucky day! One more room and the prize is mine!"

Iam smiled at Zaiten, then turned her head to see the other five slowly moving into the room. She looked at Zaiten and then nodded again. "Let's go win your prize, shall we?"

"Thank you Iam-san," Zaiten gave her a smile. "But we still need to figure out the puzzle, don't we?"

"Yeah…" Achean nodded. " 'N.J.C." "O.J.C". What could they mean?"

Orizo paused, looked at Chikoro, who was remaining silent, then spoke up. "Chikoro knows the answer to the puzzle!"

The three turned around to Chikoro, who just shrugged. "You do, Chikoro?" Iam asked. "Tell us the answer! Then Zaiten can win the prize!"

Before Iam could finish, Zaiten had lifted his arm in front of her chest and had shaken his head. "No, Iam-san. I must do this without help from Chikoro-sama."

"But, Zaiten!" Orizo started to speak, only to be cut off by Zaiten.

"If I'm to prove my strength to Chikoro-sama, then accepting help from her is an impossibility," Zaiten explained, looking at his feet. "No, I must discover the answer myself."

"You might lose your chance at the prize though!" Iam told him. "Time's running out!"

"Not winning the prize is better then winning it with help from Chikoro-sama," Zaiten murmured. "I shall just have to wait until I discover the answer."

Chikoro sighed, then rolled her eyes. "You are such a dork!" Zaiten looked up at Chikoro, who had just walked over to him. "Do you really think that I'll see you as 'tough' or 'rugged' just because you win this stupid prize? All I'm thinking of you now is stupid and stubborn!"

Zaiten blinked. "B-but…I…"

"Why don't you ask for my help?" She asked. "I know that you're out to prove your whole 'manliness' thing, but being an idiot and giving up your prize before you ask me for help isn't impressing me!"

Zaiten looked at his feet. "I…just wanted to make you…"

"Zaiten, listen up!" Chikoro snapped Zaiten back to attention. "I can't fall in love with a guy who doesn't respect me as a comrade! If you don't take information from me, then you're not treating me as a comrade, do you understand that?"

Zaiten paused, and then smiled. "Yes, I understand. Chikoro-sama…I mean… Chikoro, will you help me with the answer?"

"You bet!" She giggled, then rose up on her toes and whispered something into Zaiten's ear. He nodded, and then grinned. "See how easy?"

"Yes! Yes I understand now! How simple!" He smiled widely. "Quickly everyone; it is time to receive my prize!"

"That's what we like to hear!" Sersen nodded.

"Ahh, love is a splendid thing," Tiyra winked.

"C'mon guys!" Iam cheered the group on. "Let's go and win this event!"

* * *

"Welcome to the 'N.J.C' event!" said an automatic NPC as they entered the room. Zaiten was practically jumping around from excitement. "To receive your prize, please type and say the password."

"Ready Zaiten?" Iam asked.

"Yes," Zaiten nodded to her. "Sir, I am ready to present the password."

"…confirmed. Please type and say password."

"The password is…" Zaiten smiled. "New Job Class!"

"That's the prize?" Iam gasped. "A new job class? How cool!"

"Yeah!" Chikoro nodded. "That's what Barai meant! We're not New Job Classes, we're Old Job Classes! Or "O.J.C"s!"

"So that means that Zaiten will win a new job class?" Sersen asked. "I wonder what'll be?"

"I'm really proud of you, Zaiten!" Iam told him.

"Yeah, you really came through," Orizo nodded, patting him on the back.

"Didn't let your pride swell your head," Achean added; Gabriella nodding in agreement.

"Thank you friends," Zaiten smiled widely. "Now, sir, as to my new Job Class…"

WAAAANNGGG! A huge sound echoed throughout the entire room, making all eight of the party cover their ears as it sounded. It was over quickly and they felt it safe to uncover their ears. "Wh-what the heck was that?" asked Iam.

"I'm sorry," the NPC announced. The group turned slowly towards it, their mouths slightly open. "CC Corp has just given away the last of the ten prizes exactly twenty eight point seven seconds ago."

"Twenty eight seconds?" Zaiten asked, his jaw wide open. "What foul luck! And after all the work we did!"

"Oh man Zaiten…I'm really sorry. You must be disappointed," Iam frowned. Zaiten sighed, then shook his head.

"Not really…" he shrugged and Iam looked at him, her eyes widened. "I like my job. The only reason I wanted this prize was to impress Chikoro-sama. But I learned that Chikoro-sama isn't impressed by material things," he smiled at Iam. "She is impressed by character. I guess I was wrong, Iam. Chikoro-sama must be infatuated with Orizo because he has a superior character to me."

"Maybe…" Iam shrugged. "But you showed some great character back there," she said, smiling.

"Yes, you are right. I shall just have to improve my character until I surpass Orizo. Then Chikoro-sama will finally notice me!" he nodded to her.

"By the way…" Achean murmured. "Do you think those two received the prize?"

The group looked at each other. "Barai and Vizota you mean?" Gabriella asked. "Maybe."

"You," Achean addressed the NPC. "Who were the last to receive the prize?"

The NPC paused. "Confirmed. One minute and two seconds – Player Vizota. Shortly followed by Player Barai fifty six seconds from this second."

"So they did get the new classes," Chikoro smiled. "What are the new classes by the way?"

"Why don't we just model them for you?"

The eight turned their heads to see none other then Barai and Vizota standing in front of them, decked out in new armor and sporting the new character classes.

Barai's golden brown short hair had stayed the same, but he now had on a brown and golden striped headband. He had on a dark brown leather chest plate, along with brown leather shoulder pads. He had on a cream white shirt underneath, and his pants were colored a lighter brown. He had on tall tree-bark brown boots with black soles, not to mention brown gloves. Over his shoulder was a bow, and strapped to his back was a quiver of arrows.

Vizota's black braided hair had been transformed into two black circular pigtails that clipped together at the back of her head. She had on a indigo floppy hat, and her glasses were now smaller and in an oval shape. She wore an indigo vest with off-white trim and long puffy off-white sleeves. Her breasts were held by a short white tube top. Her legs were decorated by indigo colored baggy pants that one might wear while traversing the desert. She wore indigo slip on shoes on her feet with a closed heel and toe. On her back was a long curved blade.

"Woah! What cool designs!" Iam gasped with delight.

"What are the classes?" Sersen asked curiously.

"I'm a 'Bowman'," Barai grinned. "My class uses arrows and a bow."

"And I'm a 'Thief"," smiled Vizota. "I use this long curved blade and can steal items from enemies."

"Did you get your prize?" Barai asked, stepping forward to Zaiten.

Zaiten shook his head. "You two were the last receivers of the prize."

"Too bad," Vizota smiled. "Don't worry; how about we help you get the next big event prize? We owe you after we tail-gated you."

"Hey! It'll be cool to have level fifties helping us out!" Chikoro cheered.

"Uhh…actually," Barai laughed slightly. "We're not in the fifties anymore. By accepting these new classes, our job level got cut in half. I'm only level 27, and Vizota is 28."

"Woah!" Iam gasped. "Too bad! But hey; now we can level together!"

"Yeah," Vizota nodded. "You guys are pretty cute. It would be a lot of fun to play with you guys. Want to exchange member addresses after we get out of here?"

"Sure!" Orizo nodded. "Exchanging member addresses sounds cool. We can brag that we have two of the rare new classes on our friend's list."

…chisc…chisc… A strange noise started to emanate from the walls. The group looked up to see where the odd noises were coming from; but saw nothing.

"That would be cool! Wouldn't it Ziutenko?"

"…I guess it would be cool, Nakar. It's too bad they'll never leave this place alive."

"Too bad! But hey, I DO like those new classes. Think we can use them? Or is that cheating?"

"Nahh…I like them too. I'm sure they won't mind if we program ourselves a pair. Do you want Thief or Bowman?"

"Ooo! Thief! You know I want Thief!"

"Good; cause I wanted Bowman. Let me just make a few adjustments…"

The room was crackling; data was being corrupted. The NPC immediately disappeared, and the environment around them started to drain away; revealing the same corrupted data that usually appeared when Data Bugs were infiltrating an area. "Who do those strange voices belong to?" Chikoro asked, obviously frightened.

"What's going on?" Barai asked, pulling out his bow. Vizota followed his lead and grasped her curved blade, pulling it from her back. "Why is the room becoming strange?"

"It must be them!" Gabriella turned to Chikoro and Iam. "It's gotta be them!"

"The last two!" Chikoro gasped.

Iam turned towards the front of the room, then narrowed her eyes as two figures suddenly materialized in front of them. "It's the last of the Prism Players."

There were two characters standing in front of the group. One was a man with indigo hair pulled back into a short ponytail. He had small black pupils, indigo colored irises, and large grinning teeth. His hair spiked out at odd places, and he had a white headband tied across his forehead. His chest had on a white top that reached the top of his neck yet had no sleeves. Long knee-length white shorts decorated his legs, and he had on long white boots. His hands were adorned with white fingerless gloves and his upper arms had white armbands with indigo gauze ribbons attached. On his back was a curved blade that resembled Vizota's. Every piece of his clothing was lined with indigo trim, and the white headband he wore had indigo colored triangle patterns covering it.

The woman, however, took a simpler design. Her hair was a mousey brown that was so long it reached her kneecaps. She kept it back with two white barrettes, and her neck had on at least three brown chokers. Her chest was decorated with a white crop top with long sleeves that exposed her navel. Her bottom half consisted of tight white pants with brown trim and symbols decorating them. She also had on short brown boots, and her shoulders were decorated by brown armor pieces that strapped across her bare stomach. Her gloves were long, reaching her elbows, and colored brown. On her shoulder was a brown colored bow and a quiver of arrows.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves," the man grinned maniacally and gave a low bow. "My name is Nakar, the Thief!"

"And I'm Ziutenko," the woman smirked. "The Bowman."

"And I assume you've been sent by Moyotu to get rid of us?" Iam asked savagely, drawing her spear.

"Of course, darling!" Nakar laughed, his high-pitched voice almost cracking. "You've become quite the nuisance. We can't have you collecting all ten Ring Holders, now can we?"

"So, we decided to nip the problem in the bud," Ziutenko smiled. "I've got business to attend to, and disposing of you is part of that business."

"And as for me…" Nakar grinned, showing his jutting canines once again. "I'd just like to see a little blood now and then…why not yours?"

"So, I assume you've got some Data Bugs lined up for us?" Gabriella snapped.

"Oh, you know us all too well," Ziutenko smirked. She turned to Nakar. "Nakar, bring out your Data Bug. I'll fuse it with mine. That'll make it twice as powerful."

"I don't need my Data Bug to fuse with yours," Nakar scoffed. "It's strong enough to rip their brains out without any help!"

"Nakar, we can't afford to mess up," Ziutenko narrowed her eyes. "I've got a promise to keep, and I intend to keep it."

"A promise…?" Iam whispered to Orizo. "What does she mean?"

"I'm not sure…" he whispered back.

"Your promise to Moyotu is no concern of mine," Nakar cackled. "But…if you insist, we can combine Data Bugs. All the better to crush them!"

"Right!" Ziutenko nodded, and raised her hand into the air. "Come forth, Data Bug!"

"Spill some blood, Data Bug!" Nakar raised his hand to match Ziutenko's, and green light started to form around each other their raised hands. 0's and 1's started to file into the green light, and with a swishing motion of their hands, two Data Bugs appeared. Nakar's was a gigantic ogre, while Ziutenko's was a large Harpy. Ziutenko smiled at the group, then raised her hand into the air once more.

"I call upon thee! Nakar's Data Bug and Ziutenko's! Join forces to crush your foes!" She pointed towards the Data Bugs. "NOW!"

The green data started to form around the two data bugs again, and soon, they were completely blocked from view by the shining numbers.

"Wh-what's going on?" Vizota shouted. "This is too weird!"

"What do they mean 'Data Bug'?" Barai asked Iam. "What the heck is going on?"

"They're viruses created by those hackers there!" Iam explained. "We've got to stop them before they destroy the entire game!"

"How can we help?" Vizota demanded. "We can't just sit here acting as dead weight!"

"Once the Data Bugs merge, help us attack them!" Orizo commanded. "They won't take damage, but their Data Shield will start to break! That's when we'll Data Drain them!"

The green light started to fade from the head of the Data Bug down to its feet. The group had to hold in a gasp as a gigantic beast covered with bright feathers and carrying a huge mace stepped forward, shaking the ground and giving a gigantic roar.

"This doesn't look good…" Gabriella cursed under breath. "Well…I guess we'll just have to move in!"

"Chikoro! Focus on healing!" Iam commanded. "That goes for you too Barai! But don't forget to shoot out those arrows from long range!"

"Right!" Barai nodded, drawing his bow out. "Vizota, you go in there and kick ass, all right?"

"You've got it Barai!" Vizota nodded. "Make sure that you stay alive, you idiot!"

"Same goes for you!" Barai grinned, and the two gave each other a high-five. With that, the group ran in towards the gargantuan Data Bug.

"HYAH!" Iam slashed at the Bug, making it step backwards and swing its mace towards her. She dodged just in time, and Vizota took the chance to move in and slice the Data Bug with her sword.

"No damage? What's with these weird numbers?" Vizota shouted over the noise of battle. "Are your arrows doing any damage, Barai?"

"Nope!" Barai shook his head. "Here, Orizo! Have a Healing Potion!" He tossed Orizo a potion after he took a hit from the Ogre, and Orizo downed it gratefully.

"Thanks!" Orizo stood to his feet and slashed at the Data Bug again with his knives. "They won't take damage directly! Just keep hitting!"

"RAI SMASH!" Gabriella screamed, slicing her axe down on the Data Bug's side, making it howl in pain, then recoil. It raised its fist, then hit Gabriella full force. "ARRGHH!"

"Oh no!" Iam gasped as Gabriella's health points reduced to zero. "Gabriella's down!"

"See?" Ziutenko smiled to Nakar. "This Data Bug is so strong it can knock out one of their strongest fighters with a single strong blow."

"I guess you were right, right?" Nakar smirked widely, his eyes wide, his pupils tiny. "You were right, Ziutenko!"

"Here! A resurrect!" Chikoro dug in her pack and ran over to Gabriella. She used the drink on her fallen comrade, and Gabriella rose, feeling her head.

"Oh man…that hurt. Watch out guys! This guy packs a punch!"

"Thanks!" Sersen grunted sarcastically, jumping out of the way of a large kick. "I noticed! ANI SWIPE!" He swiped at the Data Bug with his claws, make it reel back.

"FURY FIST!" Tiyra screamed, unleashing a fury of punches on the Data Bug after Sersen's claw attack.

"It's not working!" Chikoro called. "The barrier isn't breaking!"

"Just keep going!" Iam insisted. "VAK DON!" She cast the fire spell, and the Data Bug responded with a sharp kick to Iam; sending her reeling backwards in pain. "ARRRGH!"

"Repth!" Chikoro cast, and Iam was back on her feet, her Health now mostly returned. "Watch it Iam! I'm running out of SP and I hardly have any Mage's Souls!"

"Ten Prism Players sitting in a tree!" Nakar sang. "Eight little ring kids screaming 'why me?'! Ten Prism Players killing players too! Little rings dying, bloody players shoo!"

"You're off-key Nakar," Ziutenko smirked. "But other then that, I like it."

"Guys! We've got to unleash an all-out offensive!" Iam screamed. "Everyone! Unleash all you've got!"

"Right!" Orizo nodded. "On the count of three!"

"One!" Tiyra shouted.

"Two!" screamed Gabriella.

"ONE!" Iam finished. "VAK REPULSE!"

"ICE DANCE!"

"RAI DON!"

"JUK SLASH!"

"RAI SMASH!"

"SUN CHANT!"

"FURY FIST!"

"ANI SWIPE!"

Vizota turned to Barai and they nodded to one another. Barai took one of his arrows and Vizota readied her blade. They took a deep breath, and, in one fluid motion, yelled and bounded forward:

"GAN SHOT!"

"RUE SHOTEI SLASH!"

The attacks connected at almost exactly the same time, and the words "Protect Break" flashed over the wounded Ogre. The team grinned to one another, and then Iam nodded, raising her hand.

"Time to Data Drain!"

"Let's do this thing!" Chikoro cheered, running over to Iam and holding out her hand. One by one, the party sprinted over to Iam and all held out their rings. They all pointed towards the convulsing Data Bug, and felt energy gathering in their rings.

"Are we ready guys?" Iam called to her seven friends. They all nodded and Iam narrowed her eyes. "Then let's go!"

"Wait!" Vizota cried. Barai and she stood up from their positions and ran over to join the group. Barai stood on the far left, while Vizota made her way over to the far right. They too held out their hands toward the Data Bug. "We want to help too!"

"But you don't have rings!" Sersen told them. "You're useless!"

"Well…we may not have that weird jewelry…" Barai muttered. "But we have got a lot of heart for this game! If this thing is trying to screw it up, we want to get rid of it just as much as you do!"

"Barai is right!" Vizota nodded. "We're teammates! Barai and I are in on this too!"

"Heck!" Barai grinned. "We might as well have rings too!"

A bright light shone from the ceiling of the room, and all twelve people in the room shielded their eyes as the white light drifted slowly into the room. Slowly, Iam lifted her arm off her face and squinted into the light.

Coming down from the white cape of light was a small black pinprick that Iam knew all too well. The tiny figure soon revealed a small girl with short black hair wearing a black dress. She smiled as she drifted down. Nakar and Ziutenko looked stupefied.

"Hello…" she murmured, her voice soft. "…Barai…Vizota, please step forward."

The two looked at each other, then at the group. Iam smiled and nodded to them. They stepped forward towards Prisma and Prisma took their hands in her own. She lightly touched their small fingers with her smooth fingering, making the skin on their hands tingle slightly.

Light erupted silently from their fingers, and, when it cleared, an indigo ring was on Vizota's right pinky while a brown ring decorated Barai's left pinky. Handguards were attached to the rings.

"You two complete the Prism Hackers…" murmured Prisma. "Vizota…Barai…I entail you the power of the Key."

"Huh?" Vizota asked her.

"I-I'm not sure what's going on…" Barai muttered.

"Your true purpose shall be revealed to you soon…" Prisma told all ten of them, rising slowly into the air. "Find the Prism Ryu Books…all shall become clear soon…" She closed her eyes serenely, and, in a black cloud of mist and light, was gone…

"Guys! There's no time to waste!" Iam shouted to the two newest members of their team. "We've got to drain the Data Bug before its shield comes back up!"

"R-right!" Vizota and Barai nodded, then ran over to join the ten once more, their hands outstretched.

All ten stood there, Iam and Orizo in the middle, the other ranks branching out around them. Ten hands were stretched towards the Data Bug; ten rings were ready to drain the Bug of its corrupted Data.

"This is our team!" Iam shouted, narrowing her eyes. "And there's only one thing left to do!"

"I can feel the words coming!" Chikoro shouted. "Everyone; our rings are our power! Let's wipe this nuisance out!"

"Brown Prism Hacker: Barai!" screamed Barai. The others smiled and nodded, catching on quickly.

"Indigo Prism Hacker: Vizota!"

"Black Prism Hacker: Sersen!"

"White Prism Hacker: Tiyra!"

"Orange Prism Hacker: Achean!"

"Violet Prism Hacker: Gabriella!"

"Green Prism Hacker: Zaiten!"

"Yellow Prism Hacker: Chikoro!"

"Blue Prism Hacker," Orizo shouted, and Iam turned to face him. He turned to her and grinned. "Orizo!"

Iam smiled at her team, looked up at the monster, then declared her own title. "Red Prism Hacker: Iam! Ready guys?"

"Ready!" They all shouted as the tumultuous light began to grow around their hands, circling in and out, over and over, until it was almost a milky white stream of colors and energies. They all knew what to do, what to say, what to scream. With a deep breath, the Prism Hackers unleashed their attack.

"PRISM DATA DRAIN!" They screamed, and the light energy shot out like a cannon, bowling the Data Bug over and making it dissolve instantly into scraps of useless Data. The light faded as it hit the back wall, and the evil had been disposed of.

"Crap!" Ziutenko cursed, scuffing the dirt with her boot. "C'mon Nakar, let's blow this pop-stand!"

"I told you combining bugs was a bad idea!" Nakar snarled. "This is all YOUR fault, Ziutenko!"

"You can complain later; let's GO!" Ziutenko grasped Nakar's arm and turned towards the ten. "Seems the playing field has been leveled. But we still have the upper hand. Don't forget, Prism Hackers," Ziutenko frowned darkly, "we shall triumph. Dawn shall never come again. So says the Epitaph of the Prism."

With that, the two disappeared as suddenly as they had come, leaving the area in shambles. Iam gave a sigh of relief, and grasped her right hand. "Well guys…we won."

"Not only did we win; we found all ten hackers!" Chikoro cheered. "This is great! Now we can finally defeat the Prism Players!"

"What did she mean by 'the Epitaph of the Prism'?" Vizota asked, frowning. "I've never heard of that."

"It's a poem, of course."

The group turned their heads to see none other then the infamous Kalen standing behind them, his black goggles shining, as if they were his own eyes. "A poem that practically no one knows anything about, of course."

"Kalen!" Iam smiled. "There you are!"

"Hey, I came in just as those two freak-shows jetted," Kalen frowned. "I see you've met all the Prism Players."

Orizo nodded. "But we've also gathered all ten hackers. Kalen…Prisma said something…"

"What about?"

"She mentioned…" Gabriella searched for the words that Prisma had used. "Our 'true purpose'. What does she mean by that?"

Kalen, for once, seemed at a loss for words. He frowned, then smiled suddenly. "Looks like a mystery. But…I have a hunch. Tell you what, I'll do some digging. I know a friend who might just know."

"Great!" Iam grinned. "Meanwhile, we'll keep an eye on Protected Areas. With all ten hackers, the Prism Players won't be able to stop us."

"Right," Chikoro nodded. "C'mon everyone! I'm tired, and I've got homework to do! I'm logging out."

"Same here," Gabriella stretched and yawned. "I'll see you all later."

"See you around Vizota, Barai," Iam smiled, waving. "We'll see you all later!"

With that, all ten save for Barai and Vizota logged out, golden rings encircling their characters. Kalen gave the two a small bow, then gated out himself, leaving the two of them alone. Barai sighed. "Never thought we'd get into a situation like this, did you?"

"You can say that again," Vizota sighed, bringing up her right hand. "I mean, these funky rings…and…"

She paused and her brow furrowed. "Hey…Barai…"

"What's up Vizota?"

"Look at your handguard."

"Hmm? Oh…this? I hadn't really gotten to look at it before." He raised his hand, stared at it for a moment, then gaped. "Hey…these…!"

"Look familiar?"

* * *

"Well, all ten hackers are assembled!" Ayumi grinned the next day as the six of them walked along to school. "We've met all the Prism Players, and Souchirou lost four points off his dork-itude scale!"

"How many points do I have left Ayumi-sama?" Souchirou asked curiously.

"Umm…239."

"Wh-what a large number!"

Ayumi smiled at him, then linked her arm with his, making Souchirou blush a bright red. "C'mon! We're early guys! Let's stop in at Start Button!"

"Sure," Mai shrugged. "It'll be fun to bug Sota and Fuko a bit."

"Hey, here we are, if you guys want to stop in," Hiromi pointed upwards, and the group looked up to see the Start Button sign. They all smiled to one another and jogged up to the front door.

"Hey, Sota, Fuko, we're here!" Ryoko called as they entered the store to see Fuko and Sota standing behind the counter, attending to merchandise. The two employees did not answer. "Hey you two! We're talking to you!"

"What's wrong?" Achean asked.

"Got up on the wrong side of the bed?" Ayumi giggled, sitting down at one of the stools in front of the counter.

"No. But guess what?" Sota turned his head, his usual smile decorating his face.

"What?"

"No, you have to guess," Fuko joined in, smiling as well.

"Uhh…you got married?" Ayumi joked.

"Nuh uh."

"Sota didn't sleep in class?" Hiromi joked. Sota shook his head.

"Still haven't got it."

"Well…give us a hint!" Mai laughed. "We can't just guess!"

"Funny…we seem to be giving you a lot of 'hints' lately…" Sota frowned. "Don't you think, Fuko?"

"Yeah…we do…" Fuko narrowed her eyes. "Want a hint?"

"Umm…sure?" Ryoko asked, shrugging. "What's the hint?"

A huge "WHAM!" erupted inside the store as Fuko and Sota slammed their hands down on the counter. The six jumped back from shock, then slowly focused their vision to see what Fuko and Sota were showing them.

They were rings…and handguards…

"Here's your hint…" Sota smiled. "We joined a certain 'club'."

* * *

The End of the thirteenth chapter! HOLY CRUD THAT WAS LONG! My Lord! Okay…no one give me crud about "Bowman". I think it sounds a LOT cooler then "Archer". "Archer" is just weird.

Anyway! Sota and Fuko have finished off the team, as have Ziutenko and Nakar! We're really diving in now; there's no turning back! I'm so excited!

So PLEASE don't forget to review! This chapter took FOREVER and I would really appreciate a review! So press the button, my minions:D

Until then,

Ciao for now!

Page count: Full 35 Pages

Word Count: Over 11,000. OO


	14. The Prism Ryu Books

Chapter 14 – Log On!

Hey guys! I'm really appreciative of all the reviews I received for the last chapter, and I hope to get even more for this one! My highest reviewed story currently has 209 reviews, and I'd like this story to break that, even if the category isn't as popular:D

This chapter will really be something to see! Not as many fights, but you were probably getting bored of those anyway. I hope you'll all enjoy it!

* * *

Chapter 14 – The Prism Ryu Books

By Magical Girl Pretty Sammy-chan

* * *

"So all ten of our team are together," Mai told Hiromi, Ayumi and the rest of the Makuchei gang the next day in Homeroom.

"As are the Prism Players," Sean muttered, turning a page in his American Magazine.

"Sean's right," Ayumi nodded. "Now that they're all together, who knows what they could be planning?"

"Kalen said that once the Prism Players infect enough areas, they won't need CC Corp's protection barriers anymore to gain power over 'The World'," said Hiromi. "I wonder…what kind of power are they after?"

"Remember when we fought Yusena?" said Ryoko. "She told us that Moyotu was after revenge on CC Corp."

"It is curious," Souchirou nodded. "Very peculiar. We have no leads whatsoever."

"Souchirou's right," Mai sighed. "We have no leads…we should probably forget about asking Moyotu straight out."

"…So…what _can_ we do?" Ryoko asked, biting her lip. "I'm feeling like a lamb at a slaughter right now!"

"Kalen said he'd do some digging on 'our true purpose'," Mai reminded her hot-headed friend. "…Maybe we should just wait for him to give us a signal of some sort."

"I don't like it!" Ryoko snapped. "Waiting around for someone else's signal just ain't my style!"

"Well…" Hiromi spoke up, and the group turned to face him, their eyes on what their brown-haired friend had to say. "We can…always find the Prism Ryu Books. Like Prism told us to."

"Huh?" Ryoko asked, quirking an eyebrow. Mai gave a small gasp and nodded.

"I remember!"

"_Find the Prism Ryu Books…all shall become clear soon…"_

"She told us to find them…" Ayumi murmured. "Oh, this is horrible! We have no idea where to start searching!"

"Maybe someone else might have an idea…" muttered Souchirou, and the group turned to him as he started to take out his trusty laptop from his black "Hibiki Games" bag. He quickly turned it on, and the group crowded around him as he double clicked "The World" boards and logged in to his name.

"Okay…I shall make a post on the boards regarding the books," Souchirou told the group huddled around him. He clicked "New Topic" and began to write:

* * *

Subject: Prism Ryu Books

Poster: Zaiten

Dear Patrons of "The World" –

This is Zaiten, a Heavy-Blade currently training on the Theta Server, imploring my fellow players for assistance.

The members of my party and I have been long since searching for an item called a "Prism Ryu Book". If any player has any information on where my party could locate this item, please post it on the message that I written here.

Sincerely,

Zaiten, Master Samurai

* * *

Souchirou hit the "submit" button at the bottom of the message, and the group soon saw his thread subject appear on the boards. "There!" Souchirou smiled. "This message will be sure to help us!"

"I hope someone knows something…" Mai sighed. "We'll check back at lunchtime!"

* * *

"Look, everyone!" It was lunchtime, and Souchirou had already taken the liberty of booting up his computer and navigating himself to the boards. Mai was huddled over him, looking at the screen. "There are replies to our message!"

"Really? Wow! Let's see!" The other four exclaimed, running over to join Mai and Souchirou. Souchirou clicked on the subject, and the group's faces fell as they saw the responses…

* * *

Subject: Re: Prism Ryu Books

Poster: Reginald

WTF? You actually type with tabs in your messages? OMG! lol

* * *

"Well…perhaps the others will be of more help…" Souchirou sweatdropped.

* * *

Subject: Re: Prism Ryu Books

Poster: Marie

The item isn't in the Strat Guide. Are you sure you're playing the right game?

* * *

"Umm…next?" Ayumi laughed.

* * *

Subject: Re: Re: Prism Ryu Books

Poster: Potpouri

Marie, I see it in the Strat Guide! It's on pg. 36

* * *

"Someone did find it! Sweet!" Ryoko pumped her fist.

* * *

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Prism Ryu Books

Poster Marie

Potpouri, that says "Pink Rhubarb Pie!" XD!111 lol!1

* * *

"…" Sean remained silent as the group facefaulted.

* * *

Subject: Re: Prism Ryu Books

Poster: Gregor-Francois

It might be in the new library update in eight months. I hear they're adding a library to Mac Anu.

* * *

"We can't wait eight months!" exclaimed Hiromi. "No way Prisma would make us wait eight months for this. Next!"

* * *

Subject: Re: Prism Ryu Books

Poster: Morop

Click here! www . prismryubooks . com

* * *

"Link!" Mai gasped. "Click it, click it!"

Souchirou did as he was told, and as the page came up, the group's jaws hit the floor.

"Obviously…Morop is a bit of a jokester…" Souchirou said, his lips pursed.

The link had taken them to a porn site. Obviously Morop was out to get their goat, and had no real information on the books. Souchirou, Hiromi and Sean leaned slightly forward.

"Disgusting," Souchirou sighed, his eyes still glued to the screen.

"Who'd actually look at this crud?" Hiromi agreed, also staring as Souchirou scrolled down.

"Beats me…" Sean shrugged, he too leaning forward to see.

"PERVERTS!" The three girls screamed, whacking the boys over their heads with their fists. All three fell to the ground, and the girls took no time in closing the window. Ryoko shoved Mai and Ayumi aside, logged into her name, and made her own post.

* * *

Subject: Re: Re: Prism Ryu Books

Poster: Gabriella

n00b.

* * *

And that was the end of that fiasco.

* * *

After school, the group parted their separate ways as usual, no closer to the Prism Ryu Books then before. Mai knew that she would have to go home and brainstorm ways to locate the books. She had yet to receive any sort of communication from Kalen, though…

Mai walked home that day, staring at her feet and thinking hard to herself. She was the holder of the Ryu books. Perhaps…Prisma would give her some sort of clue? She wasn't sure…and that made her anxious. These books were obviously important, and yet, they all knew that the chances of finding them were slim.

And what about their "true purpose"? Mai sighed, shaking her head. "I'm lost."

Mai rounded the corner and stepped into her yard in front of her house. She looked up, opened the door, and walked inside, putting her shoes on the rack next to her. "Mom! Dad! I'm home!"

"How was school, honey?" Mai heard her mother call from the kitchen.

"Fine!" she yelled back, walking into the house, ready to go upstairs, get changed, and start playing.

"Hey Mai!"

Mai stopped, sighing as she heard Shizuma calling to her from the living room. She turned around and stepped into the room where she saw her little brother sitting with three other boys his age. "Hi Mai!" Shizuma waved to her.

"Hi Shizuma," Mai sighed. "Who are these guys?"

She pointed to the three boys sitting down. One was wearing a soccer uniform and had straight, slicked back hair. Another had a wooden knife in his hand and had messy hair. He grinned at Mai and waved as well. The last was a boy with spiky black hair and forest green eyes. He had a pale face and was also smiling at Mai.

"Oh, this is Minoru," he pointed to the boy in the soccer uniform, "and this is Sora, and this is Kaoru!" He motioned to the boy with the wide grin and the black haired boy respectively. "They're my friends from school."

Mai sighed. Shizuma was in the sixth grade and was in his last year at his elementary school. These must have been his friends from elementary school. Maybe they were studying for entrance exams. She doubted it. Shizuma hated to study.

"Pleased to meet you," Mai smiled, kneeling down to face the boys. "I'm Mai, Shizuma's older sister."

"Pleased to meet you," Minoru bowed his head. He was pretty polite for being only twelve.

"Hiya!" Sora said, his voice rather raspy. He was pretty creepy for being only twelve.

"Hey there!" Kaoru smiled at Mai, and Mai returned the smile. Kaoru seemed like a nice kid.

"What are you guys all talking about?" Mai asked, sitting down.

"We were just talking 'bout 'The World'!" Shizuma told Mai. Mai's face fell. She knew exactly where this was going.

"No way am I letting you get a character."

"C'mon, Mai!" Shizuma whined. "Minoru, Sora, and Kaoru all have characters! Let me have one!"

"No way, little bro," Mai frowned, standing up and walking towards the stairs that led to the bedrooms. "And anyway, I've told you before. You need special software to make a second character."

With that, Mai ran upstairs and shut her door behind her, leaving the four boys alone in the living room. Sora stuck out his tongue as Mai left, and Minoru shook his head.

"Sorry you can't get a character," Kaoru frowned.

"Mai's so mean!" Shizuma frowned. "She wants to keep the game all to herself! If she'd just let me use her account to make a second character!"

"Don't worry," Sora grinned. "E-mail me her character name and I'll PK her!"

"Nah," Shizuma sighed. "It just really bites!"

Minoru suddenly stood up, grabbing his soccer bag, and smiling slightly. "C'mon. Let's go."

"Go?" Shizuma asked, his eyebrows raised. "Go where?"

"Yeah, what are you talking about Minoru?" Sora asked, frowning.

Minoru glanced at his watch and nodded to himself. "I've got exactly one hour until I have to meet a friend online. Let's go shopping."

"Shopping for what?" Kaoru asked, scratching his head.

"That…you'll find out once I take you to the store," Minoru smiled. "So c'mon. Let's go."

* * *

Golden rings appeared as Iam materialized in Dun Loireag. She looked around to see a good amount of players wandering the Root Town; feeding grunties, trading items, or just hanging out with friends.

Speaking of friends, Iam remembered her other party members and quickly went to her member address list.

"Hey! Orizo and Chikoro are on!" Iam whispered to herself, and she quickly sent them invites. They were accepted almost immediately, and Orizo and Chikoro soon appeared next to her through the same golden rings.

"Hey there guys," Iam smiled as they arrived. "What were you up to?"

"What else?" Orizo shrugged. "Looking for those books. But no word yet."

"Not even a single clue," Chikoro gave a long sigh. "This is horrible Orizo-sama!"

"Oh look," Orizo paused. "Zaiten and Achean just got on. Let's invite them too. I'm going to break from your party."

Orizo's name left the list and his character paused. The next thing Chikoro and Iam knew, Zaiten and Achean were running towards them from the weapon shop. "Hey there guys!" Iam waved to the two of them. Achean nodded, and Zaiten gave a low bow.

"Forgive our tardiness," Zaiten panted. "We were simply browsing at the local stores for a new weapon for myself and Sir Achean here."

"Anyway…" Achean interrupted. "Why'd you call us here, Iam?"

"Well…" Iam began, but was cut off as four sets of golden rings appeared behind her to reveal Tiyra, Sersen, Vizota, and Barai running up to them. "Hey guys! You're here!"

"Yeah, we're playing at work," Barai told them, winking. "Don't tell the boss, kay?"

"You guys know each other IRL?" Sersen asked Iam and she nodded.

"Anyway, when we saw that you guys were all gathered here we ran right over," Vizota smiled to Iam, walking up to her. "Are we having a strategy meeting or something?"

"Well…" Iam began, taking a deep breath. "So far, we haven't found any information on the Prisma, and Kalen has yet to give us any info on our 'true purpose'."

"Since we found we could do nothing to help either situation," Zaiten explained, "we instead decided to search for the Prism Ryu Books."

"I have one…" Iam reminded them. She closed her eyes, and a red light began to grow around her. She held out her hand, opened her eyes slightly, and the one Ryu book appeared in her palm. "This…"

The examined the book. It was about the size of an encyclopedia, but less thick. It had a red marking on its black cover. "Should…we…uhhh…" Orizo looked around at the group, "open it?"

"Right," Iam nodded. Her fingers grasped the clasp of the book gently, and, taking a deep breath, Iam threw open the book.

"The…pages are black," Gabriella announced.

"Thank you Captain Obvious," Chikoro muttered.

"Wanna say that again, blondie?"

Gabriella spoke the truth. The pages were completely black and there was no text written on them. Iam flipped through the book, but nothing came up.

"How…strange…" Iam frowned.

"Iam, look!" Orizo pointed to Iam's right hand and Iam lifted up her hand to see her ring glowing a bright red. She gasped as the ring began to levitate itself down to the book. Before Iam knew what was happening, her glowing palm was pressed against the book's blank pages.

Dun Loireag melted away, and the ten looked around in awe as a black sheet surrounded them. All was completely dark, but, luckily, they were able to see each other. There was seemingly no ground beneath them, but they were all still standing upright.

"Wh-where are we?" Chikoro whimpered. "This is so weird!"

"The entire room is black…" Barai muttered, arming his bow. "Almost as if someone spilled ink all over the place…"

"Wait…look!" Iam pointed to the book, and the ten looked at the pages. While in the normal "World" the pages could not be read, in this environment, bright white text could be seen obviously. Iam tried to turn the page, only to have it flip back to where it had opened. She looked around at the group. "Obviously…the book wants us to read this page."

She looked down at the page and read:

"Those who quest for the Twilight

Will only find pain and regret

But if thou quests for the Prism

Thou shall find it

In the altar of my daughter

And the streets where she once walked."

"And that's all it says," Iam said, closing the book. The blackness around them faded and they were back in Dun Loireag as if nothing happened. "What do you think it means 'the altar of my daughter'?"

"And what about 'the streets where she once walked'?" Chikoro added. "We don't even know who the daughter is."

"Well, if we find out who wrote the books, then we'll find out who the daughter is," Gabriella shrugged.

"Does it have an author?" Tiyra asked, looking at the cover.

"Nah," Iam shook her head. "We're just going to have to guess."

"How can we guess when these things are the only crappy clues we have?" Gabriella asked, grasping her hair. "Arrgh! This is frustrating me!"

"We should split up," Iam said. "Chikoro, Zaiten, you look around Mac Anu. The writer mentioned 'the streets'. Maybe they mean Mac Anu."

"Why can't I go with Orizo-sama?" Chikoro asked, throwing her arms around Orizo's neck, making him blush and try to pry her off.

"Cause if you do, you two won't get anything done," Iam muttered.

"Well, do I have to go with Zaidork?" Chikoro asked.

"Just go, doll face," Barai winked at Chikoro and she sighed.

"Okay, okay, whatever!" Chikoro grabbed Zaiten's happy arm and dragged him towards the Chaos Gate. "Let's go Dork!"

"Oh Chikoro-sama, I will endure whatever words you utter in order to be in your presence!" Zaiten said, crying waterfall tears as the two disappeared through the Chaos Gate.

"Now…Gabriella, Achean, you two should start going around through all the darkness areas," Iam instructed to the two.

"Huh?" Gabriella asked, raising an eyebrow. "Darkness Elemental areas? What for?"

"The book's completely black," Iam reminded them. "And I think perhaps the writer was referring to black and dark as well. So maybe the next Ryu Book might be in a Darkness Element Area. It's a long shot, but worth checking out anyway."

"Right," Achean nodded, grasping Gabriella's hand. She blushed crimson as Achean led her over to the Chaos Gate. He quickly selected keywords and looked to the back of the gang. "We're going."

With that, the two were gone in a flash of Golden Rings. Iam sighed after them and stared at the remaining six. "Vizota, Barai; you guys go and check out the Gott Statues in any areas that 'Daughter' as the last keyword. There is a keyword 'daughter' right?"

"Yeah," Barai nodded. "They added it in a recent upgrade. You're thinking about the 'altar' right?"

"Exactly," Iam nodded.

"We're on it, Iam," Vizota nodded, smiling. "Just leave it to the two of us." Barai and Vizota nodded to one another, then headed off towards the Chaos Gate to start searching. A pause. Then they were gone.

"So just us, huh?" Tiyra smiled warmly. "What's our job Iam?"

"You two…" Iam frowned, thinking. "You two…have a special job."

"Huh? What about?" Sersen asked.

"I need you to get into contact with the System Administrators," Iam told them. Sersen and Tiyra looked at her with wide eyes. "I sent them an e-mail awhile ago. No response. I need you to find the administrators and tell them to stop protecting areas. If need be, tell them about the Prism Players, but try to keep it a secret until you absolutely have to bring it out."

"Right," Tiyra nodded. "We're on it. Let's go, Sersen!"

"Right, Tiyra," Sersen smiled, swiping his claws. "Let's head to the **Administrator Server**! I bet we can get in since we're veteran players."

Tiyra and Sersen ran to the Chaos Gate and two golden rings appeared around them as they disappeared towards their destination.

"What about us, Iam?" Orizo asked his red clad companion. Now that only the two of them were left, Iam looked extremely serious. "Where are we going?"

"We're…headed to that area from before," Iam told him. "I waited to tell you…because…I think it might be dangerous."

"What do you mean? Which area?" Orizo asked.

"**Delta, Hidden, Forbidden, Holy Ground**." Orizo's eyes widened as Iam spoke. She looked over at him. "Last time we went, that statue of Prism appeared. I think…perhaps…what if Prisma is the daughter of this writer? What if that's her alter?"

"Prisma…the daughter of the writer?" Orizo asked. "That would explain a lot. But…why do you think it'll be dangerous?"

"Last time we went, a vagrant Data Bug attacked us," she explained. "Remember?"

"Yeah," Orizo nodded. "How could I forget? Ryo-Oki was there, too."

"I think that area has some ill-feelings," Iam told him, taking a step towards the Chaos Gate. "Something about it…didn't seem right. I…have no doubt that we might be attacked before we find the Ryu Book."

Orizo looked at Iam, frowning. "Iam. You're going…even though you know that if we're attacked we might not make it out."

"Yes," Iam smiled warmly at Orizo. "If you don't want to go…I understand. But," Iam looked solemnly at the Chaos Gate, "I have to go. There are people in danger. And I'm the only one who can help…"

Iam pressed her palm very slowly to the blue swirling Chaos Gate and watch the liquid swirl around her fingers. Her eyes were glazed, and she looked as though she were thinking deeply.

"When you're the only person who can help, you have to step up, despite the danger," Iam said. "Orizo, you gather information around here. I'll be back soon," Iam turned around and smiled at her Twin-Blade companion. "Bye Hiromi."

"Mai!"

Iam stopped halfway through the gate and stopped to face Orizo who was running towards her. "You really think I'd let you go alone? You're crazy!" Orizo grinned at her, showing a rack of virtual teeth. "We're doing this together! Together, we'll kick the ass of anything that comes our way!"

Iam paused, smiled, and nodded. "Let's go then! We don't have much time!"

With that, the two jumped through the Chaos Gate together and were gone.

* * *

"Sorry, I've never heard of the 'Prism Ryu Books'," a female player said, a worried expression on her face. "Umm…but if I see anything, I'll tell you!"

"Thanks," Chikoro sighed. "C'mon Zaiten, let's go."

Chikoro and Zaiten had been all over Mac Anu with little results to show. Not one person had heard of the Prism Ryu Books, and they were out of options. "What should we do now, Chikoro-sama?"

"You're asking me?" Chikoro asked, narrowing her eyes. "We've asked everybody! No book found!"

"…well, it seems we are rather…how do you say…?"

"Screwed?"

"Yes, in laymen's terms."

"I wish we had some place to lie down," Chikoro sighed, picking up her dress. "My feet, I mean, my thumbs are killing me from moving around so much."

"They do sell hide-outs and homes in "The World"," Zaiten sighed, and Chikoro's eyes flashed with interest. She grinned at him and begged him to go on.

"Houses? Where?"

"You have to buy them with quite a bit of GP," Zaiten explained to her. "You then gain access to the residential area of "The World"."

"We should get one! It's only fitting that the Prism Hackers have a hide-out!" Chikoro squealed, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "And then we can decorate it with furniture and other fancy items!"

"B-but what about the Prism Ryu Books?" Zaiten asked. "Shouldn't we be gathering information on those first?"

"We haven't found anything, and I doubt we're going to!" Chikoro frowned, shaking her head. "C'mon, c'mon! Where do we buy them!"

"Near the Chaos Gate…" Zaiten said wearily. "Chikoro-sama, I must advise against this… Homes are expensive and…"

"C'mon!" Chikoro grabbed Zaiten's thick silk sleek and pulled him over the bridge of Mac Anu towards the Chaos Gate, dragging him along as she sprinted off towards their destination. The green-clad Samurai skidded across the ground as his Wavemaster companion skirted off.

"C-Chi-Chi-Chiko-ko-ro-sa-sa-ma!" Zaiten shouted between skids on the ground.

"We're here!" Chikoro cheered as the two reached the Chaos Gate. Chikoro frowned, then nodded as she saw a small passageway. The two hackers headed through the archway to see an NPC with a sign next to it that said " 'The World' Homes". "Oh! There he is! Let's go get a house from him!"

"Hello!" The NPC smiled. "Welcome to "The World" Homes. Would you care to purchase a home today? Or are you visiting an already purchased home?"

"Purchase!" Chikoro said, selecting the option on her screen.

The NPC paused and then another menu came up. "Would you like a Hide-Out or a Home?"

"Which is bigger?" Chikoro asked, grinning.

"A Home allows more space then a hideout."

"Then we'd like a Home!"

"How many rooms?"

"Umm…what's the maximum?" Chikoro asked. "Is it ten?" She went down the menu to the last option.

"Chikoro-sama, we don't need ten rooms!" Zaiten gasped. "That house will no doubt be extremely expensive!"

"I guess you're right," Chikoro sighed. "But we'll need a Living Room! And a Dining Room!"

"We can combine those, Chikoro-sama!" Zaiten suggested. "It will save money!"

"I guess you're right," Chikoro huffed. "And we'll need a bedroom too."

"What for Chikoro-sama?" Zaiten asked. "If we are tired, we can simply log out."

"Fine!" Chikoro frowned. "No bedroom! Jeez. But we WILL need a Kitchen and a Bathroom!"

"We don't cook food in "The World"," Zaiten reminded her. "And what will we need a bathroom for? Our characters never get dirty, and we don't have to use the other facility."

"Man! You're so cheap!" Chikoro frowned. "Okay, okay, OKAY! We'll have one room as a living room and dining room, and one for a meeting room!"

"A meeting room?" Zaiten asked.

"Yep! We can plan strategy there!" Chikoro smiled. "C'mon! At least let's have that!"

Zaiten smiled. "Whatever you wish Chikoro-sama. A two room Home sounds fine."

"Two rooms please!" Chikoro told the NPC. There was a pause, and the NPC nodded. "Now what?"

"Please assign the dimensions of the rooms," the NPC told her and a screen came up showing squares and diagrams.

"Uhh…crap! I don't know how to do this!" Chikoro frowned. "Umm…we need ten people to be able to move around comfortably! Can't you just do that?"

The NPC paused and the grid disappeared. "80x50 square feet for both rooms. Is that all right?"

"Eighty by fifty?" Chikoro asked. "Will that be big enough, Zaiten?"

"It should be Chikoro-sama," Zaiten nodded. "We might be slightly cramped if we put many furnishings in, but we should be all right."

"Make it one hundred by sixty!" Chikoro told the NPC and Zaiten facefaulted.

"Uhh…Chikoro-sama! This might be getting expensive!"

"What's the final cost?" Chikoro asked. The NPC paused, obviously calculating the final cost in its program. Another pause, then a small "clink!".

"The final cost is 1,000,000 GP."

"HUH!" Chikoro screamed, her eyes wide. "O-O-One million? Are you joking, dude?"

"It is because you made the rooms so large!" said Zaiten, his jaw practically on the ground. "We shall have to cut down!"

"No!" Chikoro shook her head. "This is my dream home! You can't just go around changing it!"

"Well, how many GP do you have in your possession?" Zaiten asked her, frowning. Chikoro sweatdropped and went into her inventory.

"Umm…10,000."

"…"

"WHAT?" Chikoro growled.

"This is hopeless, Chikoro-sama," Zaiten sighed. "You have not near enough money to afford this home. We should cancel our order."

"How much GP do YOU have?" Chikoro asked, her eyes narrowing at her companion. Zaiten gulped and paused.

"Ummm…" he smiled. "Only 700,000!"

"700,000?" Chikoro asked, her eyes wide. "You have that much money and you didn't share ANY of it with ME?"

"Forgive me Chikoro-sama! It is simply money I've earned from selling off extra rare items I have found on dungeon adventures! I meant to buy you a wonderful piece of equipment, but I never found the chance!"

"Enough sniveling!" Chikoro commanded, kicking Zaiten off her leg where he was currently groveling. "Together, we have almost enough money!"

"But sadly, still not enough," Zaiten laughed. "We'd have to sell an INCREDIBLY rare item in order to raise 290,000 GP so quickly!"

Chikoro stopped, paused, and then slowly turned around to Zaiten, a wicked grin on her face and the fires of hell burning in her eyes. Zaiten sweatdropped, growing very scared of Chikoro. "Chi-Chikoro-sama?"

"Heh, heh…"

* * *

**Theta** **Grieving Pale Daughter**

"Not this one either…" Barai sighed as he opened up the Gott Statue of the last room in the dungeon, only to find the usual trinkets and armor. "There's no Prism Ryu Books around here."

"We've been to three areas already," Vizota sighed. "It would take us forever to cycle through all of them."

"Don't be so wishy-washy," Barai told his partner, searching through his sack for his Sprite Ocarina. "We've got to keep searching, even if it's a futile effort, ya know?"

"You're sure into this," Vizota smiled, rolling her eyes. "What got you all into 'Save the Day' hero junk?"

"Heh, well, it beats work or class," Barai smiled. "And as n00bs, we've got to do our best, right? Win it over with our leader, Iam?"

"Iam's leader, huh?" Vizota smiled. "I guess. She and Orizo were the first ring holders after all. So I guess they're co-leaders."

"A co-leader romance, how cute!" Barai cooed, grinning at Vizota. "You can tell that Orizo is all over our dear leader."

"I must admit, it's pretty obvious they have a thing for each other," Vizota nodded. "But don't you dare go trying to play match maker on them."

"Jeez, jeez. What do you take me for? That's something I'd suspect of you!"

WHACK! Vizota had thrown a pair of boots they had gotten from the Gott Statue, knocking Barai to the floor. "That's a big fat lie and you know it!"

"No need to get so weirdo on me," Barai grinned. "C'mon, let's go." Barai used the Sprite Ocarina, and when the two had been warped back to the field, they Gated Out back to the Theta server to find a new area.

"Well," Barai sighed. "Next would be **Theta Reflective Pale Daughter. **Right?"

"And the list goes on and on," Vizota sighed as the two warped to the area. They found themselves in another Snow Area, since the keyword "pale" was locked with the snow layout. "Well, we're here. Let's head for the dungeon."

"Right!" Barai nodded. "Fairy's Orb!" The orb revealed all the portals on the map, and the two avoided them with ease as they were few and far between.

They quickly scampered into the Dungeon, and Barai smiled to his partner. "All right; that was pretty easy. Now, let's go on, shall we?"

"I'll use a Fairy's Orb," Vizota nodded, using a Fairy's Orb on the floor. Her character frowned and Barai looked at her oddly.

"What's up?"

"Th-there's…no enemies on the map."

"Woah! What a lucky break! Must be a glitch or something," Barai grinned. "Let's go, shall we?"

"Barai, you don't understand," Vizota told him. "Quick, use an orb too."

"Use two orbs? Waste of money," Barai frowned.

"Just do it! Don't argue," Vizota frowned at him. "Something's weird about this dungeon."

Barai obliged Vizota and threw a Fairy's Orb into the air. He paused and then gasped, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

The dungeon was made up of only three rooms. One was the room they were currently in, a small hall. The second was a huge hall that had to be at least ten of the hall they were currently in. The final room was a small square, obviously the Gott Statue room. No enemies and no extra floors…it was like being handed the Gott Treasure on a silver platter.

"Something's wrong Barai," Vizota frowned. "We should turn back now."

"Are you joking?" Barai asked. "This is the only break we've had in an hour. We should keep on going."

"Break?" Vizota asked, frowning. "This could be dangerous! C'mon!"

"I'm going ahead," Barai told her. "If you don't want to come along, then I'll see you back at work!" With a small grin, Barai took his bow and started to run forward to the next room.

"Wait!"

Barai was stopped by a firm hand grasping his leather jacket. He turned around to see his partner staring at him, smiling. "You really think that if I let you go alone, you'd ever let me live up to it at work?"

Barai paused, then smiled. "Nope. I guess I wouldn't be easy to live with."

"Damn straight," Vizota laughed, throwing her head back slightly. "C'mon! Let's go!"

"Right," Barai nodded. With that, the two bounded forward, eager to find what was on the other side of the door.

* * *

"So far…nuttin'," Gabriella sighed to Achean as the two destroyed another monster a Dark Elemental Dungeon. They too had been searching for hours, but had still found nothing that had led them to the truth. "This is pointless! A wild goose chase!"

Achean didn't respond and walked into the next room, Gabriella following him. Another golden portal appeared, revealing two snake like monsters.

Achean drew his blade and Gabriella likewise with her axe. The two ran forward and began to engage the two snakes who were, by this time, an easy match for them. So easy, in fact, that Gabriella found time to talk to Achean while the battle was still going on.

"I mean, there are hundreds of Darkness Elemental Areas! How are we supposed to find the right one?" she asked Achean, whacking the snake over the head with her large silver axe.

Again, Achean didn't bother to respond to Gabriella's complaint. He finished off the last monster and as the two collected the measly experience points they had received, Achean was already on the move to the next room.

"I bet Iam just sent us here to keep us busy!" Gabriella frowned, growling to herself. "Jeez! What a jerk! She's going to get a piece of my mind when we get back! I'll deck her one!"

"Don't worry," said Achean softly. Gabriella looked up at Achean, her brow furrowed. "Iam wouldn't do that."

"Oh yeah? You think?" Gabriella asked, sighing. "I guess you're right. She just needs to check everything. Just like her."

The typical silence from Achean followed, and Gabriella blushed with frustration. "Hey! You could at least say something, Yankee!"

"Why? You like talking enough for both of us," said Achean. Gabriella drew back. She could tell by his tone that it was supposed to be taken as an insult. On the contrary, it was as if Achean was paying her some sort of compliment.

"So you're saying that you don't have to talk since I do it for you?" Gabriella asked, grinning and acting offended. "Are you saying I have a big mouth? Don't think I'm going to take that from you Yankee!"

"No. I'm not saying you have a big mouth," Achean shook his head. "There's a difference between someone who talks a lot and someone who has a big mouth."

"Oh yeah?" Gabriella asked, smiling. "What's that, huh? Answer carefully or you might just find yourself on the other end of this axe here!"

"Well…a person with a big mouth talks a lot and still doesn't _say _anything," Achean told her. Gabriella looked up, her eyes wide. "And someone who talks a lot…simply wants to be a part of the conversation. A part of their conversation partner's life."

Gabriella smiled, strolling up next to Achean. "So…you're saying that I want to be a part of your life? Don't flatter yourself Yankee!"

"Well…if you didn't, you wouldn't be talking to me," Achean told her. Gabriella blushed a crimson red and looked the other way.

"Y-You're full of crap!"

"Maybe."

"Is that all you can say?"

"Guess so."

Gabriella stared at Achean and sighed, shaking her head. "But you don't talk much. Does that mean that you don't want to be a part of _my_ life?"

"No."

"Then what does it mean?" Gabriella asked, growing slightly angry.

"I want _you_…" Achean turned to Gabriella and looked into her eyes, "to talk to _me_ as much as possible."

Gabriella turned a shade of red brighter then Iam's armor and looked at the ground. "D-Don't think that acting all gushy like that is an excuse! Y-You've got to open your mouth once in awhile!"

"…" Achean remained silent and looked off towards the next door. "Let's go. We've got to explore the dungeon."

"Yeah, whatever," Gabriella shrugged, shaking off the blush. "Let's go, Romeo."

"If you'll do me the honor, Juliet," Achean said, taking her hand and kneeling.

"Oh! So Mr. Stone Cold does have a sense of humor!" Gabriella smirked playfully. "C'mon Achean! Let's get out of here!"

_Mother…_

…_There…_

…_If only…_

"Huh?" Gabriella looked up, her eyes wide. Achean jumped to his feet and looked around as well, his stoic expression still plastered on his face. "Did you hear that? What the hell's going on?"

_If only…_

"It's saying something…" Achean muttered.

"If only…" Gabriella repeated. "What does it mean?"

…_If only she…_

…_she wasn't…_

…_If only she wasn't here…_

"Who's she?" Gabriella asked. "Who the hell's saying this crap?"

"Shh…" Achean made a small noise to quiet his hot-headed companion. "Just listen…we might have found something after all."

* * *

"Well, we're here!" Sersen told Tiyra as the two landed in what seemed to be a model of ancient Greece. Marble pillars surrounded the platform where the Chaos Gate currently was. Due to the fact that Sersen and Tiyra were veteran players, they were able to visit the Administrator Server where special areas and players were located.

The server, the **Alpha Server**, as it were, was modeled after Ancient Greece with a coliseum for veteran Player vs. Player matches, a gigantic building with columns where Administrators worked, and other elaborate places with graphics far better then the usual servers.

"Yo! Tiyra, Sersen! What up guys?" The two turned around to see a Male Heavey Blade walking towards them. He had black hair and bright green eyes with small pupils. "Haven't seen you hanging around here for awhile."

"Hey there Yutaro," Tiyra giggled, waving. "What's up?"

"Not much," he smiled, looking them up and down. "I see you guys decided to pick up the advanced classes instead of doing B Level."

"Yeah," Sersen shrugged. "What's the point of just doing the same job over again? I was getting bored of Blademaster after eighty million levels or whatever."

"Anyway, we're in kind of a hurry Yutaro," Tiyra said, bowing in apology.

"Hmm, what for?" Yutaro asked, curious.

"Got to go see the administrators," Sersen explained. "We've got a bit of a problem, you see."

"Is it about that Defiant Giant event? I know! It's so hard, I bet it's a bug or something!"

"Nah, it's not about the event," Tiyra winked. "Something else. Just a little problem, nothing to worry about. No big, you know?"

"Oh, well, I won't keep you," Yutaro smiled, waving to his two companions. "See you later guys!"

"See ya," Sersen bid his friend goodbye as the threesome went their separate ways. Tiyra and Sersen started to make their way towards the large marble building where Administrators would be working.

"So…who should we talk to?" Tiyra asked, scratching her head. "What do you think, honey?"

"Honey? What are you doing?" Sersen grinned mischievously, putting his arm around her waist. "Trying to tease me or something?"

"Hey, let go of me gigolo!"

"Fat thighs!"

"GRRR! I should kill you right now!" Tiyra decked Sersen into a nearby wall. Quickly recovering, Sersen followed Tiyra up the stairs of the large marble building, still caressing his cheek.

"Ow! You pack a punch!"

"Damn straight," Tiyra winked at Sersen as she reached for the double golden doors that led into the building. She pushed them open to reveal dozens of players and administrators milling around in a large room with a wooden floor and many desks. Private offices were tucked behind doors upstairs and on the ground floor. An air of business filled the place, and Sersen and Tiyra had no need to feel awkward as they stepped into the heavily occupied area.

"May I help you?" The two players looked down to see the receptionist smiling at them. Tiyra stepped forward to answer the Administrator.

"Yes, hello. We're here to see an administrator."

The Receptionist frowned when she saw the girl talking to her. "I'm afraid Lord Balmung has refused any private appointments for the next seventeen years."

"Not Balmung!" Tiyra shouted, blushing red from frustration that this receptionist had thought she was a squabbling fan-girl. "Just any administrator will do. We have a problem to report with current policy."

"All complaints must be filled out on a special form," the receptionist told them, smiling and pulling out a clipboard. Tiyra looked at Sersen with a 'can you believe this' look and took the clipboard. "Fill that out, turn it in to me, and expect a response in about a week or so."

"A week?" Tiyra asked. "Look! This is important! You have to stop Protecting Areas!"

The receptionist looked at Tiyra and sighed, as if realizing exactly what she was after. "Miss, you don't seem to understand. The areas are protected for the players' safety. Just because your favorite area is now blocked is no reason to demand us to change our methods."

"It's not about that, dammit!" Sersen growled, punching the Receptionist's desk, making her jump back, startled. "There are hackers on the loose!"

"Sersen!" Tiyra rasped to him.

"That'll get their attention," Sersen whispered to Tiyra. Tiyra looked apprehensive, but nodded, deciding that the truth was the only way that they were going to get these people to agree with them.

"Hackers?" The receptionist asked, her eyes wide. "Are you sure?"

"Yes! And the Protection on the areas is increasing their power!" Sersen told her. "They're out to destroy 'The World'!"

"I-I…I shall contact someone about this right away!" The receptionist nodded to the two, quickly bringing up her laptop and typing.

"There's no need for that Uteni-san. _I'll_ deal with these players here."

The three looked up to see none other then an austere looking administrator with long silver hair in a ponytail carrying a spear standing before them. She wore a blue and silver chest plate and a matching long blue skirt with a long slit. As she walked across the wooden floor, her silver boots made a small "clack" sound on the floor.

"E-Emerika-san!" The receptionist gasped and Tiyra and Sersen looked at the administrator with narrowed eyes. This woman was obviously some sort of big cheese at the company. "Y-Yes of course. Would you like your private office?"

"Yes," Emerika nodded. "Ruta should be in my office as well. Take us there." The receptionist pushed a few keys and then nodded.

"Off you go, Emerika-san." With a push of the enter key, golden rings appeared around all three players, and they were gone.

* * *

"…So…here we are again," Orizo smiled to Iam as the two found themselves once again standing in front of the great Church at **Delta Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground**. "Ready to do some investigating?"

"Yes," Iam nodded, smiling to Orizo and grasping her spear in her right hand. "Let's go, shall we?"

"Right!" Orizo nodded, grasping his blades and running with his partner towards the entrance of the grand Church.

They entered the structure and Iam and Orizo saw immediately what they had come to investigate: the statue of Aura and Prisma. Prisma still stood tall, rings floating in her hand, her eyes half closed. Aura held in her small hands a bracelet.

"Let's…go up to it," Iam told him. The two stepped up towards the statue and Iam looked at Orizo.

"Are you scared?" he asked. "I'll touch it if you want."

"No…I'm not scared," Iam shook her head. "More of…curious. Who is Prisma? Who's Aura? Who wrote these Prism Ryu Books? And what's the Epitaph of the Prism?"

"Do you think all of our questions could be answered just by touching this statue?" Orizo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We can hope, can't we?" Iam asked, smiling lightly. "But…truthfully," she looked up at Prisma, "I wonder exactly why Prisma is helping us. Is it to achieve our 'true purpose'?"

"Which we're still not sure of," Orizo pointed out, frowning. "Exactly what does Prisma want us to do?"

"I'm not sure," Iam shook her head. "But…she must want to help us right? The Prism Players are obviously the enemies of Prisma, aren't they?"

"I'd assume so," Orizo told Iam, shrugging. "I mean…all their plans are foiled by our rings. Prisma has helped us out on more then one occasion."

"She's just so ambiguous that we're not even sure what she wants us to do," said Iam. "Sometimes, I wonder why she even chose us. Was it just because we had a chance encounter with Moyotu?"

Silence captured the room at the mention of Moyotu. She was a sore subject for the two, even more then the others. Iam remembered that her picture and member address were still listed under her Party Members…

"…She was…nice," Orizo muttered the thing that was both on their minds. "But that wasn't who she really was. We have to stop her, no matter who she is or was to us."

"I understand," Iam said truthfully. "I don't have a problem with it anymore. I'm just curious as to her reasons. What kind of revenge could she be after?"

"All these questions can be answered once we find the books," Orizo told Iam, holding up his left hand. His blue handguard and ring started to glow. "For now, I say we grasp this statue and see what happens to us."

Iam paused. Orizo was flashing her a defiant grin, and, for some reason, she completely trusted his word. There was no more time for asking questions. It was time to get some answers.

Iam lifted up her own ring, now glowing red and the two reached out simultaneously towards the statue. "Let's do this!" Iam told her partner. "On the count of three! One!"

"Two!"

"Three!" Iam shouted and the two grabbed the statue with their hands, ready to get some answers.

* * *

The streets of the Net Slums were practically empty that night. Scraps of data wandered as usual, and many rejected characters wandered aimlessly through the tall buildings and their meaningless existence. A girl with a broken angel wing and a gash on her throat was singing an Anime theme song. A man with a large swirling circle for a head was wandering around the city, bumping into the walls around him.

And, amongst the mishmash that was the Net Slums, a human being materialized amongst them. It was Kalen, his keyboard still floating in front of him. Many vagrant A.I. turned their heads to see their Prince arrive.

"Kalen!" the girl with the gashed neck said, flying cock-eyed over to Kalen. "You've returned to us! They said that the Prince wouldn't return, but this one can understand the Prince better then those around her!"

"Glad to know it," Kalen smiled. Other A.I. greeted him in the same way, and he bowed to them in greeting, just as he would to a normal person. "Glad to be back, everyone."

"Go, go! Leave the Prince to his duty!" A man missing a torso told the inhabitants of the Net Slums. They giggled and walked off to return to their aimless tasks, leaving Kalen near his destination to wait for his friend to arrive.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting."

Kalen looked over to see an old man with slicked back white hair and tan skin walking towards him. He had narrow, cold eyes and was wearing a red ensemble. He was a Wavemaster and carried a staff. "Wiseman," Kalen smiled. "You're late."

"I apologize. I was helping some friends in real life before I came to meet you," Wiseman explained, leaning against a wall of the Net Slums. "Now, Kalen. What exactly do you wish to discuss with me?"

"Found anything?" Kalen asked, smiling. "Anything since I sent you that e-mail?"

Wiseman paused, and then looked at Kalen with one eye. He nodded. "I found something. Did some digging and found some information."

"Care to explain Wiseman?" Kalen asked, smiling even wider. "I'd be obliged to hear it."

"Hold your horses," Wiseman chuckled. "I'll tell you soon."

"So…exactly what did you locate?"

Wiseman paused, stood up, and looked Kalen in the eye. "I've found…exactly what Prisma is. I have much to discuss with you."

Sorry guys! But I'm cutting you off there! Part II will be next time! Sorry for the cliffhanger! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter will wrap up the pair events and you'll get loads of answers about Prisma! I promise!

* * *

So, please don't forget to review! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year!

REVIEW! THE RABID REINDEER COMMANDS YOU TO REVIEW!


	15. The Prism Ryu Books Part II

Hey there everyone! What's going on? I hope you all liked the Christmas update spree, and now I'm back with the New Year's Update spree! My Lord, I must want to kill myself.

Anyway, this chapter is sure to be a great one! The second half of the Prism Ryu Books adventure! It's really picking up here! I hope you all enjoy!

* * *

Log On! – Chapter 15 – The Prism Ryu Books Part II

* * *

_Last time…_

"Sorry to have kept you waiting."

Kalen looked over to see an old man with slicked back white hair and tan skin walking towards him. He had narrow, cold eyes and was wearing a red ensemble. He was a Wavemaster and carried a staff. "Wiseman," Kalen smiled. "You're late."

"I apologize. I was helping some friends in real life before I came to meet you," Wiseman explained, leaning against a wall of the Net Slums. "Now, Kalen. What exactly do you wish to discuss with me?"

"Found anything?" Kalen asked, smiling. "Anything since I sent you that e-mail?"

Wiseman paused, and then looked at Kalen with one eye. He nodded. "I found something. Did some digging and found some information."

"Care to explain Wiseman?" Kalen asked, smiling even wider. "I'd be obliged to hear it."

"Hold your horses," Wiseman chuckled. "I'll tell you soon."

"So…exactly what did you locate?"

Wiseman paused, stood up, and looked Kalen in the eye. "I've found…exactly what Prisma is. I have much to discuss with you."

"Much to discuss?" Kalen asked, raising an eyebrow. "How so, exactly?"

"It's about what I found," Wiseman told him. "About Prisma, and about the Epitaph of the Prism."

"Let's start with that," Kalen smiled. "What did you find out about the Epitaph of the Prism?"

"It was tough," Wiseman explained. "The Epitaph of the Prism is hidden in even more mystery then the Epitaph of the Twilight. It took me days of web searching to even find a scrap of it."

"Read me the scrap," commanded Kalen.

Wiseman paused, then began:

"_From darkened times_

_Shadows lurk_

_Within dark souls lie hopeless dreams_

_From which born is nothing_

_The Wave of Prism_

_Riding on the wings of revenge and justice_

_Holds the mighty power."_

"_Riding from the wings flies Balasiel:_

_A minion of honor, a slave to a swear_

_Next is Reikak: the true face of a mad man,_

_The sanity behind a lost figure_

_Followed by them is Maisk: _

_Joined to one form, a desperate plea for safety_

_The nameless one, a guard of darkness_

_To crush the knights without mercy_

_Then cometh Nadela, the carrier of the truth_

_Seductress of hedonistic ways_

_Following behind the beauty that is merriment_

_Comes a Dark Princess, left by her Prince_

_Paarkos rears his anger and hatred for the knights_

_So much to do with hate, but more with love_

_The shifter, Qukon, spindles his ways, his words,_

_And his body, in order to find his true light_

_A locked heart: Shigon, only finds within_

_That it cannot bare a crushing weight_

_And from the darkness, the hopelessness, and the defeat_

_Of these Prism creatures_

_Comes Ka_

_Ke_

_And Ru_

_The lost fragments of a soul_

_Longed for by a confused mind_

_And from this mind, the true threat_

_The true wave is born from the ashes of Morganna_

_The Prism Wave_

_Prisama_

_And the Night shall conquer the Dawn… _

_Day shall never come again._

_So says the Epitaph of the Prism."_

"Not a very friendly thing, is it?" joked Kalen, and Wiseman gave him a reproachful look.

"It speaks of another wave," Wiseman said. "Much like the wave from five years past. But, instead of the writer being on the side of the Twilight Dragon…"

"It seems this writer wants this 'Prism Wave' to be the victor," Kalen finished. " 'Night shall conquer the Dawn…' Seems this writer definitely has something against the Twilight Dragon."

"Speaking of the writer," Wiseman interjected. "Have you ever heard of a woman named Liesel Wearing?"

"Can't say I have," Kalen shrugged.

"She's the writer of our infamous piece," Wiseman explained.

"She seems like an anti-Emma Wielant," Kalen laughed. "And what's this about 'revenge' and all that?"

"I have a theory…" Wiseman said. "But it might take awhile."

"I've got all the time in the world," Kalen smiled, leaning backwards. "So fire away."

* * *

"How much for this…uhh…helmet thingy!"

"That's a Radiating Helmet, and I found it in a very difficult dungeon, please don't sell it Chikoro-sama!"

"A Radiating Helmet! Shall we start the bidding at 25,000 GP?"

Chikoro was currently standing in the back alley of Mac Anu, propped on top of a box with a bag of Zaiten's most prized rare treasures next to her. Zaiten was doing his best to save his rare items, but Chikoro had already sold away at least six items in order to raise money for their house and furniture.

"I bid 30,000 GP!"

"35,000!"

"50,000!"

"55,000 GP!"

"60,000 GP!"

"60,000, going once, going twice…" Chikoro paused for effect, and then slammed her foot on the box. "SOLD! To the cute girl Blade Master in the back for 60,000 GP!"

Many groans came from the crowd as the girl came forward and trade Chikoro for the helmet. Chikoro took the heavy sack of GP and grinned as she listened to it jingle in her hand. "This is great Zaiten! We've made over 600,000 GP already! If we make any more money, we'll be able to BUY the Prism Ryu Books!"

"Chikoro-sama, we already have more then enough money to buy the home," Zaiten cried, waterfall tears falling down his face. "Can't we save the rest of my items?"

"Oh, okay!" Chikoro sighed. "I guess we have enough now to buy the house and furniture…" She turned to the auctioneer's and waved to them. "Sorry folks! The auction's over! See you later!"

More groans and shouts of "more!" came from the crowd, but Chikoro ignored them, walking through the crowd with her hulking bags of GP. Zaiten hugged his remaining items close to his chest, caressing them, and the two made their way over to the Elf's Haven to deposit the rest of the rare items.

"Well, now we should go and buy the house!" Chikoro smiled, sprinting off towards where the pair had gone before to select their house.

"Chikoro-sama, give me the GP!" Zaiten told her. "I have the other 700,000 we'll need!"

"Oh fine," Chikoro frowned, passing the GP to Zaiten. He put it in his bag, making it condense to carrying size, and the two walked up to the Home NPC once again. "Hey there! We made an order before, remember?"

"Player Chikoro," said the NPC after a pause. "Yes. You put a hiatus on your payment. Are you ready to pay?"

"You bet!" Chikoro said, and Zaiten passed her one million GP. "Here!"

There was a pause as the money disappeared from Chikoro's hands. The NPC was processing the request. "New Home, created. Would you like to name your home?"

"You bet!" Chikoro grinned. "Chikoro and Orizo-sama's love home!"

"NO!" Zaiten interjected.

"Okay, okay," Chikoro frowned. "I guess we'll need a name that people will remember. Umm…okay. How about… "Midnight Ring"?"

"Midnight Ring?" Zaiten asked his companion. "After the darkness of Prisma and our rings?"

"Of course!" Chikoro grinned. "Now, everyone we'll say "That's the Midnight Ring Manor!" It sounds awesome!"

"Home registered as "Midnight Ring"," the NPC informed them. "You may now proceed. Furniture for homes may be bought in the residential area."

"Sweet!" Chikoro grinned, rushing past the NPC into the residential area. Zaiten followed her and the two gasped as they saw the huge number of homes in the city. There were at least twenty streets running backwards and forwards, and players milled around, leaving their homes before the day's journey. A huge green and cream colored tent with a large hole to let in the sunlight and sky was above them, giving the entire area a feel of a bandit hide out village or a circus neighborhood.

"Oh look!" Chikoro pointed to her right, and Zaiten turned to see a furniture shop right next to them. "Let's go in! We've still got over 300,000 GP to spend!"

"All right…" Zaiten sighed. "But you're spending all of my money, Chikoro-sama."

"Oh, you get loads from your treasure hunting," Chikoro pouted. "Don't be stingy!" The two walked into the store and Chikoro immediately gasped at the wide array of furniture. An NPC walked up to them and began to speak.

"To purchase an item, simply select it and press the "Buy" button next to it. Zaiten and Chikoro looked down to see that indeed, every item had a small "buy" button next to it. Chikoro walked around, looking at all of the furniture. "This couch is perfect!" she exclaimed, pointing to a huge tan colored couch with white pillows. Before Zaiten could stop her, she had slammed the "Buy" button and spent 40,000 GP on the sofa.

"Oh! And this table!" She slammed another "buy" button for a coffee table. "And this sofa!"

"Ch-Chikoro-sama!" Zaiten was crying waterfall tears as Chikoro then bought a lamp, a rug, a mirror, a few plants… "Chikoro-sama! We only have 130,000 GP left!"

"You're right! We still need the long meeting room table!" Chikoro exclaimed, looking for a long table. As they traversed through the aisles, Chikoro's eyes rested on a long meeting table made of cherry wood. "That's perfect!" Chikoro gasped, her eyes shining. "And only 100,000 GP!" She hit "buy" and the table was now their possession. "Do we have everything we need?"

"Besides money…yes…" Zaiten sighed, defeated. "Can we go home now?"

"You bet!" Chikoro nodded, then turned to the NPC. "Where's our furniture?"

"Your purchases have been automatically moved to your home," the NPC told them. "You may arrange them as you wish there. A tutorial is available if you would like to view it."

"Nah!" Chikoro said, waving her hand. "We don't need a tutorial, right Zaiten? We'll just move it ourselves!"

"B-but Chikoro-sama, perhaps we should--"

"Let's go and set up!" Chikoro announced, dragging Zaiten out of the store and back onto the streets. "Okay…now where's our house?"

"Are you lost?" Chikoro and Zaiten looked up to see an NPC with a map.

"You bet!" Chikoro nodded. "We're looking for "Midnight Ring"."

There was a pause, and then the NPC smiled. "Yes. That house is new. You can find it on Viola Street."

"Sweet!" Chikoro smiled. "Thanks a bunchies!" Chikoro grabbed Zaiten's arm and started running down the streets, leaving the NPC behind them.

"Ch-Chikoro-sama, where IS Viola Street!"

"Well…here's Flute Avenue…" Chikoro muttered, looking up. "And Oboe Lane. A musical instrument theme I guess."

"Look!" Zaiten pointed to the street in front of them. "There's Viola Street!" Chikoro looked up as well and saw that there was indeed a sign that said "Viola Street" as a cross street to Flute Avenue.

"Let's go! What are we waiting for?" Chikoro asked, grabbing Zaiten's arm and running up towards the street. The two looked down the street, then frowned. "How are we supposed to find our house? These all look the same."

"Oh hey!" Chikoro looked up to see a cute girl Twin Blade character wearing violet armor with brown hair in a ponytail. "Are you the new neighbors that just moved in at Midnight Ring?"

"That's us!" Chikoro smiled.

"Are you two boyfriend and girlfriend? That's pretty romantic, buying a house together," the girl smiled, and Chikoro blushed.

"N-N-No way is this dork my boyfriend!" Chikoro stumbled. Zaiten sighed.

"We're not the only occupants of the home," he told the girl. "Our eight friends will also be living with us."

"Woah! No wonder that house is so big!" the girl said. "I was thinking that we had some really high level rich players moving in."

"Where is our house?" Chikoro asked.

"Right next to mine," the girl told them, pointing to the left side of the street. "See that one with the sign that says "Far From Home"? That's my house. "Midnight Ring" is right next to that."

"Thank you so much!" Chikoro grinned, grabbing Zaiten and running down the street. "We'll see you later! Thanks again for showing us!"

Chikoro and Zaiten ran down the street until they reached their home. It looked like everyone else's: tan walls with red roof. It looked more like a hideout then a home. Nevertheless, the two looked at the sign in front which read "Midnight Rings" and stepped inside.

Furniture was set in the default positions, but Chikoro was obviously unhappy with the arrangement. "No way!" she shook her head. "This table should be like this!" She ran over to the table and scooted it over, flipping it around. "And that sofa is all wrong!"

Zaiten ran over as Chikoro reached for the sofa she had bought. "A-Allow me to help, Chikoro-sama."

"Okay, okay," Chikoro sighed. "On three, lift it and move it over there! One, two, three!" Chikoro and Zaiten grunted and lifted the sofa. They moved it about five feet, next to the coffee table, and set it down, panting. "We did it!"

"Yes," Zaiten nodded. "It seems that our home base shall be quite a home, Chikoro-sama."

"You know…" Chikoro smiled. "That girl was right about one thing."

"What's that, Chikoro-sama?" Zaiten asked, blushing slightly.

"It is pretty romantic to buy your home together," she said, looking away. "I feel like we're newlyweds setting up our first place."

Zaiten smiled. "Oh Chikoro-sama, are you saying that--?"

"I just wish it were Orizo-sama who was setting up with me!" Chikoro cried, and Zaiten fell over. "Oh well…let's get to it, shall we?"

"Yes," Zaiten smiled, getting up and laughing slightly. "Let us get to it."

* * *

"My theory consists of the following," Wiseman remarked to Kalen. "What if…this Prisma, is actually an anti-Aura?"

"An Anti-Aura?" Kalen asked. "Like Aura's enemy? Or her opposite?"

"Yes," Wiseman nodded. "Prisma is directly related to the Epitaph of the Prism, isn't she? And if the writer is the anti-Emma Wielant, then Prisma is the anti-Aura."

"But Aura is the Goddess of "The World"," Kalen said. "So that means that Prisma is…"

"That's right," Wiseman nodded. "Prisma…is "The World" ultimate enemy."

"That makes no sense," Kalen interjected. "If that's the case, why would she be giving our friends those rings to fight the Data Bugs? If Prisma really wanted "The World" gone, then why wouldn't she let the Prism Players have their way?"

"Perhaps Prisma is _using_ the Prism Hackers," Wiseman suggested, and Kalen's eyes widened. "Giving them the rings in order to bring about the Prism Wave. Maybe that's the true purpose of the Prism Hackers."

"To destroy "The World"?" Kalen asked, frowning. "I'm not buying it Wiseman."

"If I'm right about this…" Wiseman said. "Then everything that Aura possesses should be the opposite in Prisma. Such as Aura's rooms."

"Aura's…rooms?" Kalen asked. "The White rooms with children's toys you mean? Those fragments of Harald and of Aura? The fragments of the Epitaph?"

"Yes," Wiseman nodded. "If I'm correct, then Prisma should have similar rooms. Fragments of herself and her creator. But instead of children's toys and bears and stones…"

"What would there be?"

* * *

"Oh my God…"

Vizota and Barai almost gagged as they entered the room at the end of the long hall. The room was pitch black, but they could see one another perfectly. In the center of the room, objects also were completely visible, although Vizota and Barai wished they were not.

"What the hell is this?" Barai asked.

Sitting in the center of the room was a bed with black blankets and canopies. Lying in the bed was a bloody corpse. All around the bed were body parts, dislodged from what seemed to be at least a dozen bodies. Blood, colored white, was splattered all over the black walls.

'_From darkened times…_

…_Shadows lurk…_

_Within dark souls lie hopeless dreams_

_From which born is nothing…_

_The Wave of Prism…_

…_Riding on the wings of revenge and justice_

_Holds the mighty power."_

"What's that voice?" Vizota asked, trembling. "What's that voice saying?"

"It sounds like a poem…" Barai murmured, shaking as well. "The Wave of the Prism? Revenge? Justice?"

"Dark souls…lie hopeless dreams…" Vizota murmured. "Is this Prisma's doing?"

"Vizota, we have to get out of here," Barai told her, grasping her arm. "This is too weird! Something's definitely not right here!"

"Right…let's go. Let's gate out," Vizota nodded, grabbing a Sprite Ocarina. She used it, and the two were swept from the horrible room and out into the field. They gated out and were soon back at Dun Loireag.

"My God…what the hell was that?" Barai asked. "All those dead bodies…it was a butcher shop."

"A-and so real…" Vizota shivered. "The graphics…looked so real."

"And…and that strange poem," Barai reminded her. "It has something…something to do with Prisma. I'm sure of it. Wait till everyone hears about this."

* * *

"What about Liesel Wearing?" Kalen asked. "If she's still alive, we can ask her directly about this."

"Unfortunately, no such luck," Wiseman shook his head. "She died only seventh months after Emma Wielant. Some say it was heart failure. I'm not sure myself."

"How is she connected to "The World"?" Kalen asked Wiseman.

"Seems she knew both Harald and Emma," Wiseman told him. "Worked with Harald in programming "The World"."

"What about Emma?"

"She was acquainted with Emma through association with Harald," Wiseman explained. "Didn't know her very well. In fact…I heard that Liesel was not on good terms with Emma."

"What for?" Kalen asked.

"It was a one-sided rivalry," Wiseman said. "Liesel hated Emma, but Emma took little notice of her."

"What was the rivalry about?" asked Kalen.

"Harald," Wiseman said. "Liesel was in love with Harald."

* * *

…_If only she…_

…_she wasn't…_

…_If only she wasn't here…_

"What the hell is she saying?" Gabriella asked Achean as they stood back to back, their weapons drawn, ready for an attack. "She's been saying that for five minutes. Who's that voice?"

"It's a woman's voice," Achean said.

"Well, I knew _that_!" Gabriella shot back.

_If only Aura…if only Emma…_

"Aura?" Gabriella asked. "Emma? Who the heck are they?"

"Shh…" Achean silenced her. "She's saying something."

_If only she…_

…_she wasn't…_

…_If only she wasn't here…_

…_If only Aura wasn't here…_

…_you could…_

…_Goddess…you would be Goddess…_

…_Morganna…will fall…Aura…_

…_Aura does not deserve…you deserve…my sweet daughter…_

"Deserve what? With this bitch finish a sentence?" Gabriella whispered to Achean. "I don't know what the hell she's talking about!"

…_If only she…_

…_she wasn't…_

…_If only she wasn't here…_

…_If only Emma wasn't here…_

…_I could…_

…_He would love me…_

…_I could be…_

…_I could be his…_

…_Emma does not deserve…I deserve…my sweet Harald…_

"This woman is jealous," Achean whispered. "Because…her love is unrequited."

"How'd you know that?" Gabriella asked, eyes wide.

"I can just sense it," Achean shrugged. "These are that woman's memories…replaying."

"Her memories…replaying?" Gabriella asked, surprised. "But what for? Who is she? Why do we care?"

"I'm not sure," Achean shook his head. "But this is important to Prisma…I have a feeling."

The voice stopped, and Gabriella and Achean sighed. "Let's go back. Tell the others what we've heard," Gabriella told Achean.

"Right," Achean nodded, pulling out a sprite ocarina. "This is important stuff."

* * *

"Liesel was in love with Harald?" Kalen asked, then smiled. "I see…unrequited love led her to revenge."

"Yes. My hypothesis is that she grew so hateful towards Emma and Harald that she unleashed a virus in Harald's program," Wiseman told his companion. "Prisma, her daughter, is that virus."

"Prisma's nothing more then an overgrown computer bug then?" Kalen asked and Wiseman shook his head.

"No. More like a force of nature. She's the anti-Aura. The opposite and equal of," Wiseman told him. "We can't just delete her like you would a garden variety virus."

"So I supposed the administrators are caught on this one, aren't they?" Kalen smirked. "I'd like to see how a dear administrator of mine would handle a situation like this."

* * *

"Woah! Snazzy!" exclaimed Sersen as the group entered a dark office with seemingly no walls or floors. It was a nave bluish color, with pulsing colored lines running constantly through the room, as if colored drinks were running through pipes in Emerika's floor and walls. "Nice office."

"Thank you," Emerika smiled. "Please, sit down." Two chairs suddenly appeared in front of a silver desk where Emerika sat down. Tiyra and Sersen nodded to one another and sat down in the chairs while Emerika shuffled through a few papers. "Now…about these hackers."

"Yes," Tiyra nodded. "They take advantage of the Protection Ward you put on the areas in order to grow stronger and spread their infection."

"We can't explain how we know this," Sersen told her. "We just do. I know it sounds fishy, but you've got to believe us."

"Can you give the names of these hackers?" Emerika asked, and a screen that looked like a laptop came up.

"Th-their leader is Moyotu," Tiyra said. Emerika typed in the name and hit "search". There was a pause.

"There's no record of a player with that name."

"Of course not," Sersen frowned. "She's a hacker, remember?"

"Even the most elusive hackers are registered in our system," Emerika said simply. "Such as Night Dwight. We caught him a few months ago and froze his account."

"You're not getting us!" Tiyra said. "Are you going to stop those Protection Wards or not?"

"No," Emerika said simply. "Of course not. They are for the safety of our players."

"You're endangering their safety by putting them up!" Sersen exclaimed, rising to his feet. "We're telling the truth!"

"I received an e-mail of the same fashion a few months ago," Emerika said. "From a player named 'Iam'."

"Iam?" Tiyra asked. "She tried to warn you too, I see."

"Hackers are under my jurisdiction," Emerika said. "I'm the Captain of the Emerald Infantry. We handle all rogue players."

"Then why aren't you doing anything about these hackers?" Sersen asked.

"Because we have no record of their existence," Emerika shot back. "You could be pulling our leg. Trying to fool us and get your kicks about the administrators. I'm afraid that you've run up against the wrong girl. I take pride in my job. Captain Emerika _never _fails."

"But--!" Tiyra began, but Sersen put his hand on her shoulder, shaking his head.

"If you have all players in your database…" Sersen told her. "Then can you look up someone for me?"

"Who?" Emerika asked. "This had better not be a waste of my time."

"His name is Kalen." Tiyra's eyes widened at what her werewolf companion had just said.

Emerika frowned and gave an odd pause. She then typed the name into the database. "Kalen: Blademaster. Currently level 17. Anything else?"

Sersen looked at Emerika long and hard. "You know Kalen."

Emerika paused, then chuckled. "You're astute. Yes, I know Kalen. The Black Prince. One of the most elusive hackers on the net."

"Then why lie about him?" Sersen asked.

"Because he has evaded my capture," Emerika said simply. "I don't want to worry the players."

"Your database was wrong once," Sersen told her, narrowing his eyes. "Why can't it be wrong with the Prism Players?"

Emerika stared at Sersen, and Sersen stared back for what seemed to be forever. A moment later, Emerika pushed a button. "Our meeting here is finished. We'll look into your complaint if we find the time. The Emerald Infantry is very busy."

"You're throwing us out?" Tiyra asked, standing up.

"I wish you good times on "The World"," Emerika smiled, and golden rings formed around the two players. In a matter of moments, they were gone. "Good riddance."

* * *

"Liesel is going to unleash the Prism Wave as revenge on Harald for not returning her love," Wiseman told Kalen. "I don't understand it all myself, but I do know one thing for sure."

"Which is…?" Kalen asked.

" "The World" is in danger," he told him. "Great danger. Liesel's intention is to destroy "The World" and Aura. She's using the Prism Players to do that."

"Are you saying…?" Kalen raised an eyebrow.

"The Prism Players also know of the Epitaph," Wiseman said. "And they're using it as their blueprint for their revenge on "The World". Liesel has found her army. She's going to use them to bring about her ultimate revenge."

"What about our Prism Hackers?" Kalen asked. "What about Iam and the others?"

"I'm not sure," Wiseman shook his head. "But I do know one thing. They were originally meant to extract revenge using Prisma's gifts. But…"

"But?"

"Liesel's plan might backfire," Wiseman smiled. "Her 'Knights' might just turn against her."

"If what you're saying is true," Kalen told him. "Then I have no doubt…that those ten are going to turn traitor and come to the side of the Twilight."

* * *

"Orizo…" Iam murmured. "Where are we?"

"I'm not sure…" Orizo said, looking around.

As the two had touched the statue, they had been transported to what looked like a forest. Grass, flowers, and trees surrounded them. They looked around, but saw nothing. "What is this place?" Iam asked.

"I think I hear something…" Orizo said, pointing towards the sound. "It sounds like someone laughing."

The two walked towards the sound, parting trees and walking through the grass until they finally reached a clearing where a child's bed was sitting. On the bed was a small girl with blonde hair and a white dress. With her was a young woman with long white hair and a billowing white dress. They were both smiling and laughing. The blonde girl turned her head and looked at them, as did the white haired woman.

"Hello," the woman smiled. "Are you looking for the book?"

"Umm…yes," Iam nodded. "Wh-who are you?"

"Aura," she smiled. "And this is…my daughter Zefie."

"Hey," Zefie said softly.

"What…are you…are you player characters?" Orizo asked and Aura shook her head.

"No."

"An NPC?"

"No," Aura shook her head. "Zefie and I…just exist in "The World". We do not a true name."

"I don't understand," Iam murmured. She gasped as Aura stood up and started to glide towards her. She put out her hands and placed them on Iam's face.

"You will understand soon," she assured Iam, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Please…take care of her."

"Wh-who?"

"The Prism Ryu Book is yours," Aura said. Iam and Orizo gasped as they saw a large black book fall from the sky into Iam's arms. The book had a symbol on it, written in white. "Take care of her."

"Wait!" Orizo called. "Where do we go next?"

"You're already there," Aura smiled. "Goodbye, my lovely knights."

Orizo and Iam cried out as they felt themselves being sucked downwards. They looked down to see a black portal opening underneath their feet. They were sucked in, head first, and found themselves falling away from the serene place they had once been in.

"Where are we?" Iam cried as they fell through darkness.

"I think the better question would be, where are we going?" Orizo called to his companion, then gasped as a light began to show at the end of the tunnel. The two fell through and gasped as they found themselves in some sort of dilapidated city.

"Kalen!" Iam cried as she saw him from her aerial view. "And he's talking with someone!"

"Where are we Iam?" Orizo asked.

"I don't know!" Iam cried. "But I'm still being sucked down! It's not just gravity!" The two flew down, growing faster and faster, the wind whizzing in their ears. Orizo was the first to land, falling to the ground and rolling into Kalen.

"Orizo!" Kalen cried, and then looked up. "Iam! What in the world?"

Iam fell after, but she didn't hit the ground like Orizo had. Instead, her hand fell into the ground as easily as if she had stuck it in water! "What the?" she cried. Her wrist began to glow as she slowly took out her hand.

But when her hand came up, clutched in its fingers was a Prism Ryu Book. The final one. Its symbol was black, and it matched the black cover, making it almost unreadable. "The final book! These were the streets!" Iam cried, rising to her feet.

"You guys found the Prism Ryu Books?" Kalen asked. But there was no time to respond. Iam's body began to glow. Slowly, the red book rose out from her body and the two others rose from her hands to join it. All three were levitating in front of them.

"I don't know," Iam began, "what's going to happen now. But I do know that those books are holding secrets that we need to know."

"Open them Iam!" Orizo told her, running by her side. "You're the Holder of the Books!"

"Right!" Iam nodded, and pointed at the Ryu Books. "I command you to open!"

The books flew open and the pages began to flip violently. The entire city swirled around them, and Iam and Orizo grabbed onto one another as not to be thrown away in the dizzying circle. They closed their eyes, but opened them again as they heard voices.

"Where are we?"

"Guys! You're all here!"

"We were just warped away!"

Iam looked over to see all ten Prism Hackers were now inside the spinning dark place, holding to one another. "You guys! How'd you get here?"

"We were just about to ask you!" Chikoro spoke up, grabbing hold of Zaiten's arm. "What's going on?"

"The Prism Ryu Books are reacting!" Sersen called to the team. "Something's about to be shown to us!"

"Find the Prism Bracelet Holder…"

The team gasped as they heard a voice in their ear. They looked up to see none other then Prisma standing above them, looking calm and serene. She was speaking slowly and softly , surrounded by the three books. "Find the Prism Bracelet Holder," she repeated. "You must find the Warrior of the Prism."

"What do you mean?" Iam called. "We don't understand!"

"Find the wielder of Prisma's power…" she said. "Give the Prism Bracelet Holder your strength. You are my Knights…this is your duty."

Prisma disappeared as did the Prism Ryu Books. Soon, the spinning stopped, and the ten were returned to the Net Slums where Kalen and Wiseman stood, looking at them with anxious faces.

"We have…" Kalen began. "A lot to talk about."

* * *

"Shugo, look!" gasped Mirielle. The group was currently walking through a field with Hotaru's new Prize Grunty, looking for food and talking. But Mirielle had stopped them. "Shuboh!"

Shugo looked at Mirielle. "What's wrong Mirielle?"

"Onii-chan!" Rena exclaimed. "Mirielle's right! Look at the bracelet!"

Shugo lifted up his arm to see that his golden bracelet was glowing on his wrist. Ouka gasped. "What's wrong with it? Is it broken or something?"

"Some sort of energy is making it react," Shugo told them, lowering the bracelet. "Maybe…something to do with Aura."

"How are we supposed to know?" Hotaru asked weakly. "Wh-what if something's wrong?"

"If something required our assistance," Shugo told them. "I'm sure we'll out what that thing is soon!"

"Shugo, how can you be so relaxed?" scolded Rena, bopping her brother over the head. "C'mon! We're heading back to the Root Town!"

"Coming Rena…"

* * *

"Hyah!" Ryo-Oki shouted as she lowered her Heavy Blade sword onto the monster that her party was currently fighting. She was with Mia, a blademaster, and Ryu, the silver haired Heavy Blade from the Grunty Event. "Yeah! We win!" cheered Ryo-Oki as the monster fell.

"No thanks to you," Ryu scoffed. "Your strength stat is too low."

"Hey!" Ryo-Oki frowned, raising her sword, only to have it transform into a Wavemaster staff. "Oh…"

"Heh! Good!" Ryu smirked. "We need a healer anyway, and your fighting is horrible, so…"

"Ryo-chan!" Mia gasped, pointing to hand that Ryo-Oki held the staff in. "Look!"

"Huh?" Ryo-Oki looked at Mia. "Mia, I've been transforming classes for awhile now. No need to get all surprised."

"Not that," Mia shook her head. "Look at your bracelet!"

Ryo-Oki frowned and looked down at her bracelet. Ryu and Mia gathered around her and looked down at the bracelet as well. "It-It's glowing…" Ryo-Oki finally managed to sputter out. It was true. Her bracelet was now radiating a soft yet powerful glow. "Something's wrong."

"Maybe it broke," Ryu shrugged. "Anyway, it's not big deal. Let's go already."

"It doesn't just break," Ryo-Oki told him and Mia. "Something's making it react like this. A strong power. It's almost like its calling me."

"Calling you where?" Mia asked.

"Yeah?" Ryu nodded. "Where is it calling you anyway?"

"Back to the Root Town," Ryo-Oki told them. "Let's go to Mac Anu. I think…I think we'll get our questions answered there."

* * *

"Hmm…?" BlackRose furrowed her brow, looking at her partner, Kite. They, along with the warrior Balmung, were currently in a dungeon, fighting off monsters for treasure and EXP. But BlackRose's comment had stopped her partner.

"What's wrong BlackRose?" Kite asked.

"Is something wrong?" Balmung asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Look at your bracelet," BlackRose pointed to Kite's wrist, where, usually, the invisible bracelet resided. However, now, the bracelet was glowing, as if Kite was about to perform a Data Drain. "It's glowing!"

"You're right," Kite nodded, looking at the bracelet. "I wonder…what's wrong with it."

"I'm not sure myself," Balmung murmured. "But something tells me something is afoot above ground. Your bracelet is reacting to something."

"But what…?" BlackRose asked, frowning. Kite looked at BlackRose, then at Balmung, and then down at the bracelet.

"I have a feeling that we'll find out soon."

* * *

Yay! The end of the chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it! Took forever! (laughs) Anyway, as you can see, Aura's group is heading into the battle as well! The next chapter is going to be awesomely awesome, so please don't miss it! Oh, and…

REVIEW:D Please. I'd be very happy to receive a review for all my hard work!

Until then,

Ciao for now!


	16. Dekai Joins the Fray!

Hello there folks! How's it going? I'm back with the sixteenth chapter of "Log On"! I have a REALLY good feeling that I'm going to hit 100,000 words this time, so wish me luck, okay?

Before I begin, I've decided to make a WIDDLE announcement:

FICS YOU REALLY SHOULD BE READING _after _YOU FINISH READING MINE!111oneoneoneeleven

New World Legend by SailorStar165: This cute fic stars Ryo-Oki, a cameo in "Log On!". She's out to save "The World" with the power of the Twilight Bracelet! The story is a little lighter in spirit then mine, so if you ever tired of the "blah blah drama drama blah blah" and want a little more comedy, definitely check out this story. This fic is already going really well with fifteen or so chapters updated. Check out the prequel too, Twilight Angel.

Dothack:Chosen by megafan505 – This fic stars a diamond in the rough teen named Akira who's been given the power of the Silver Moon, along with his girlfriend, Natsume, who has the power of the Golden Sun! This fic includes cameos from "Twilight Angel" and "Log On!" so be sure to check it out! It's a new fic that's already been going great guns! The structure is very much like this fic, so if you like this fic, I bet you'll like "Chosen". Also, keep an eye out for appearances from Kalen, our favorite Dark Prince Hacker!

Dot Hack: Curse by Kite1793 – This story stars yet ANOTHER group of hackers all with hacker powers, and the leader of their band is Kite! (Kee-tay) Not the Kite (Kyt) you know, but Kite (Kee-tay), a Wavemaster who's won a copy of "The World" for free (furr-ee)! When he meets up with new friends, things go funky when they meet up with evil hackers and the friends are forced to save the day! It's already got nine chapters up, and an original character made by myself shows up! No Log On cameos though :D

Cybernetic Ephiphany by Steeple333 - This story is about Morganna coming to "The World" disguised as a player. It's quite interesting, and since Steeple-chan is a good reviewer of mine, I thought it fair to advertisethe fic in this story. Morganna meets a lot of new player friendsand there is said to soon be a cameo by a character based off of Moyotu! Please be sure to check it out!

Anyway, enough friendly advertising.

Please don't forget to review! This chapter is going to be a LOT of fun, I can tell it!

* * *

Log On! – Chapter 16 – Dekai Joins the Fray

* * *

"Hold on a sec!" Chikoro shouted as she rose from her sitting position that she had been stuck in for the past half an hour. The entire group was sitting in the Net Slums after their experience with the Prism Ryu Books, and were now listening to Kalen and Wiseman's discussion. "You're saying Prisma, the Prisma that gave us these rings, is actually a virus?"

"Not a virus," Wiseman said calmly. "An Anti-God. Much more dangerous that any regular breed virus."

"This makes no sense," Orizo said, looking up from his spot and holding up his hand guard and showing them his left pointer finger. His blue ring was still stuck to it firmly. "Prisma gave us these rings. It's because of her that we were able to defeat the Prism Players."

"If what you're saying is true," Tiyra said, "then Prisma would be on the side of the Prism Players, wouldn't she? Not the Prism Hackers."

"It is pretty strange," Kalen nodded. "And I'm having trouble believing it myself, but Wiseman seems pretty convinced."

"I have good premise," Wiseman said sternly.

"I agree," Sersen nodded to the stern wavemaster. "Liesel Wearing, writer of that epitaph, hated Harald for choosing Emma over her. It's only natural that she would seek revenge."

"And that revenge was manifested as Prisma?" Zaiten asked, and Sersen nodded. Zaiten sighed, rising to his feet. "I refuse to believe such slander against such an honorable miss as Prisma."

"What's wrong, Vizota?" Iam asked her indigo-clad friend, who was currently holding her arms and looking forlorn. Barai had the same sort of expression on his face. "You look upset."

"I think…" Vizota began, and then gave a large gulp. "Wiseman…he's right! Barai and I ran into this horrible room…and I could tell…"

"That the room was filled with Prisma's energy," Barai finished his partner's sentence. "Prisma made that room. It was full of corpses…disembodied corpses."

The group looked at one another, and Chikoro gave a small squeal. They all were starting to look scared. Wiseman stared at Kalen, and Kalen shook his head. "Sorry W-Man, I'm just not convinced."

"One, please refrain from calling me that. Two," Wiseman stared at Kalen sternly, "what more evidence do you need? A threatening epitaph, a dark history, and now this? I see that the Prism Wave is part of Prisma."

"My mother always told me," Kalen, rising up into the air and typing a few things on his floating keyboard, said to Wiseman. "That not all is as it appears. You have to dig deeper."

"Relying on advice from your mom isn't exactly scientific…" Iam said, sweatdropping slightly. "But I agree with Kalen. Prisma has been helping us all the way. We can't just assume she's evil because her creator had an evil intention."

"Hey Iam!" Gabriella stood up, looking firmly at the violet haired Longarm. "I'm with you on this one! I'm not one to turn my back on a friend that easy before I hear the other side of the story from her own mouth!"

There was a pause, and then the group of ten began to smile and nod. Achean rose to his feet, nodding. "Right."

"We should find Prisma and ask her," Orizo insisted, clenching his left fist. "We'll see what she has to say! That's the only way to be sure of why she gave us these powers!"

Wiseman sighed, and shook his head. "If you are certain, I see that I have no purpose in the situation except to help you."

"Really, you'll help?" Kalen asked, smiling. "Thanks W-Man!"

"I'll do some program digging," Wiseman told the ten Prism Hackers, ignoring Kalen. "Find the roots of Prisma and find out where she resides. I'll also do my best to find any irregular pulses of illegal programming. That will be the beginning of our Phases."

"Phases?" Iam asked. "The ones mentioned in the Epitaph you mean?"

"Yes," Wiseman nodded. "The Phases are the beginnings of the Prism Wave. I suggest that you train up and get ready for the fights." He turned his back on the Prism Hackers and Gated Out. "They won't be easy."

With that, the man was gone, and only the ten of them and Kalen were left. Kalen turned to them, smiling. "All right then, I'll help Wiseman out with tracking down the Phases. If I find any info, I'll e-mail you guys right away, got that?"

"Thanks Kalen," Iam smiled, standing up and nodding at the black hacker. "We'll be in touch."

"Speaking of which…" Kalen turned to the group and suddenly looked stern. "What did she say to you?"

"Who?" Iam asked.

"Prisma," Kalen said, and the group looked at one another. "When you opened the Prism Ryu books, what happened?"

Iam sighed…then looked up. "Well…"

"_Find the Prism Bracelet Holder…"_

_The team gasped as they heard a voice in their ear. They looked up to see none other then Prisma standing above them, looking calm and serene. She was speaking slowly and softly, surrounded by the three books. "Find the Prism Bracelet Holder," she repeated. "You must find the Warrior of the Prism."_

"_What do you mean?" Iam called. "We don't understand!"_

"_Find the wielder of Prisma's power…" she said. "Give the Prism Bracelet Holder your strength. You are my Knights…this is your duty."_

"I see," Kalen said, his eyes narrowing. "This is…quite an upset."

"What do you mean?" Gabriella asked, annoyed. "You're not making much sense, you know that?"

"It seems, that there is one more Prism Hacker," Kalen told them. Their eyes widened as they saw the dark hacker become extremely anxious in appearance. "One more hacker that holds more power then all of you together."

"The Prism Bracelet holder is another Prism hacker?" Chikoro asked, biting her thumb. "But who is it?"

"It's your job to find him or her," Kalen said sternly, turning to the ten. "You're to be the Prism Bracelet holder's knights."

"That gives us absolutely no clue as to where to start searching!" Gabriella snapped. "It could be anyone!"

"Look, Prisma wouldn't just have you search with nowhere to go," Kalen assured them. "Just sit tight. Everything will work out in the end, I assure you."

"Easy for you to say…" grumbled Gabriella.

"Now, I'm afraid you've overstayed your welcome," smiled Kalen. The group looked up to see him typing on his computer. "I'm not evicting you out of the Net Slums."

"Huh?"

"Bye guys! Good luck!" smiled Kalen, waving. He hit the "enter" button on his board, and the ten were whisked away in a flurry of golden rings.

* * *

"THAT JERK!" Chikoro exclaimed as the ten found themselves now in Mac Anu of the Delta server. "He just kicked us out!"

"This _is _troublesome," Zaiten nodded to his friends. "We have no clues as to the identity of this individual."

"What individual?"

The group jumped three feet as they heard a voice from behind them. They turned around to see eleven people staring at them with odd expressions. "Mirielle-san!" Zaiten smiled at the cute Wavemaster who had spoken. "A pleasure to see you again. Did you receive my mail message about the Tyrannical Breastplate I found last week?"

"You bet Zai-Zai!" Mirielle cooed, grinning. "I can't wait to get my grimy mits on it!"

"I forgot…I sold it…" Zaiten cried, looking over at Chikoro, who was whistling innocently. "To pay for our home."

"Hey!" Chikoro huffed, turning back to Zaiten. "I got you some money back didn't I? You should be happy that I was able to sacrifice that floor space!"

"You cut the house in half…" Zaiten told her. "But the selling price was a fraction of the buying price."

"Huh?" Iam looked over at the others and smiled. "Hotaru! BlackRose!"

BlackRose and Hotaru smiled at Iam and waved. "What's up?" BlackRose asked. "It's great to see you again."

"H-hello Iam-san," Hotaru bowed to Iam. "Prize Grunty is doing wonderfully, by the way."

"Glad to hear it," Iam smiled. She looked over at the last group and gave another great smile. "Ryo-oki! And it's that guy from the contest…Myu?"

"That's Ryu!" Ryu barked, blushing. "My name's not a cat noise! How annoying."

"We've had some bad run ins with the word 'Ryu'," Orizo sighed, shaking his white haired head. "Anyway, who's your friend?"

"This is Mia," Ryo-Oki introduced her friend. "You know her, right? We met at the game store."

"Oh, hi!" Tiyra waved to the group. "You don't know us, do you? I'm Tiyra, this is Sersen, and Vizota and Barai."

"Other ring holders?" Ryo-Oki asked, stepping forward. "Pleased to meet you. But not so pleased to see the pervert here…" She glanced over at Shugo, who frowned back at her.

"I am NOT a pervert!" he barked. "At least don't embarrass me in front of other people…"

"You're the administrator from those events…" Chikoro murmured, pointing to Balmung, who had folded his wings and was looking quite regal. "Balmung-san?"

"I am he," he nodded, smiling at the ten. "I'm pleased to meet you as a player, instead of as an administrator."

"Oh, and guys," Iam smiled and pointed to Shugo's group. "You haven't met these guys yet. This is Shugo, Rena, Ouka, and Hotaru. Hotaru and I won the Grunty Jousting event together."

"Pleased to meet you," Ouka smiled, shrugging her shoulders and pushing her bangs out of her eyes.

"Our pleasure," Sersen smiled, only to have Tiyra hit him over the head. "Hey! What was that for?"

"That'll teach you to flirt over the internet!"

"You're just jealous because your boobs aren't as big as hers!"

"ARRGHH! EAT THIS!"

"MAKE ME, BITCH!"

"But…I do have one question," Orizo said, looking over at the boy in the middle of BlackRose and Balmung. He looked exactly like Shugo, only slightly taller and his smile was a little smaller then Shugo's grin. "Who are you?"

The boy looked up and smiled at him. "Oh, I'm Kite. Pleased to meet you."

"The legendary hero Kite?" Tiyra asked, her eyes wide. "I can't believe it! You guys are the .hackers!"

"That's us," BlackRose smiled. "It's kind of weird that we all ended up here, though."

"Who are the .hackers?" Iam asked, looking at Tiyra and Sersen.

"Only the most legendary players ever," Sersen grinned. "They solved "The World's" 'Final Mystery' five years ago. Ever since then, they've been so famous it's astounding."

"Can you Data Drain too?" Chikoro asked Kite, and he gave her a surprised glance. He smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. I've got Aura's bracelet," he lifted up his wrist, and Chikoro frowned. "You can't see it, but it's there. How did you know?"

"So Ryo-Oki's not the only one with a bracelet?" Gabriella asked, poking her head up to have a look at Kite's wrist.

"Hey! I've got a bracelet too!" Shugo huffed, holding up his wrist to reveal a golden bracelet on his wrist. "We're part of the .hackers too, you know!"

"I had no idea…" Iam murmured. "Hey! What if Prisma meant one of them?"

"What do you mean 'Prisma' and 'one of them'?" Shugo asked, raising an eyebrow. "Who's Prisma?"

"I do not think so," Zaiten shook his head. "These people, if like Ryo-Oki, hold the power of Aura's bracelet, not Prisma's. None of them are the 'Prism Bracelet Wielder'."

"You guys seem to know more about Aura then you let on!" BlackRose said, frowning. "Mind explaining to us what's going on? Why did Kite's bracelet start glowing all of a sudden? How'd we all end up here?"

"The bracelets haven't stopped glowing," Ryo-Oki said, lifting up her now glowing bracelet. Shugo and Kite raised their wrists and the gang saw that a green data bracelet was indeed on Kite's wrist, now glowing along with the other two. "What's going on?"

"Maybe it's a reaction to Prisma's manifestation?" Vizota suggested, and Achean nodded in agreement.

"Right."

"Guys," Iam stepped forward. "We're looking for our own bracelet holder, 'The Prism Bracelet Wielder'. You guys wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"Well, it's not us," Shugo shook his head, tapping his foot. "We're Aura's warriors, not this Prisma's."

"Do you think their reaction is some sort of homing device for our bracelet?" Barai asked, and the gang looked up, surprised. "Maybe the reaction will get stronger as we get closer."

"It's worth a shot!" Iam nodded, smiling at the three groups. "Guys, if your bracelets start to react even more then usual, message us immediately and make sure you stop any player nearby! Your bracelets might be some sort of metal detector for our suspect!"

"Okay," Ryo-Oki said. "We'll keep a good look out. Let's go check out the Root Towns guys!"

"We were just leveling," Ryu complained, frowning. "I'm not going after some stupid player without some compensation."

"Whatever, we don't need you," Ryo-Oki stuck out her tongue and walked towards the Chaos Gate with Mia. Ryu sighed and followed.

"Whatever, it's not like I have anything better to do," he grumbled, and the three disappeared in a flurry of golden rings.

"We'll be sure to keep an eye out Zai-Zai!" Mirielle assured her friend. "We'll find the bracelet holder in no time!"

"Thank you Mirielle-san," Zaiten bowed to Mirielle, and she bowed back as her group walked over to the Chaos Gate and also disappeared to another area. She followed them, waving to Zaiten as she warped away.

"We shall search as well," Balmung assured the ten. "Obviously, there is something going on underneath the fabric of "The World". We'll be sure to keep our eyes ready."

"Yeah! You can't count on us, Iam!" BlackRose assured her, giving her the "thumb's up" sign. "We'll find that bracelet holder!"

"Goodbye," Kite said with a smile. He turned around and his party headed towards the Chaos Gate. In a moment, they were gone, leaving the ten alone in Mac Anu.

"Now what?" Tiyra asked.

"I know!" Chikoro grinned. "Let's go back to our house! We need to finish putting in all that new furniture I bought!"

"A house?" Iam asked, raising an eyebrow. "You bought us a house? That's a lot of GP!"

"Oh, Zaiten here paid for some of it," Chikoro told them, and Zaiten frowned.

"I paid for all of it…"

"It turns out that we made it too big," Chikoro frowned. "I thought that it would be perfect, but…"

"_This is perfect!" cooed Chikoro as she put another picture up. "But something has been bugging me…"_

"_What might be that which is 'bugging' you Chikoro-sama?" Zaiten asked the blonde wavemaster._

"_I thought it would be a lot bigger," Chikoro said, frowning. "This house is really small."_

_True, for 100x80, which, Zaiten would guess, would be extremely large, the house was relatively small. Only around 20x20, he'd say. He looked around, searching for something, until he finally found a pamphlet on the floor near the doorway. He picked it up and began to read. "Your Home will not appear to scale at first. Please activate your home's size by saying "Enhance". All furniture will be--"_

"_ENHANCE!" Chikoro shouted into the room, and the two of them felt themselves being sucked into a void, centered at the ceiling of the room._

_They were spat out, and both of them gasped as they saw what was in front of them. _

"_Ch-Chi-Chikoro-sama!"_

_Sama…sama…sama…_

"_This house is gargantuan!"_

_Gargantuan…gargantuan…_

"_Okay…so maybe it is a LITTLE big…" Chikoro admitted, looking at the huge room that stood in front of them. It was so large, it could have been a gymnasium. It had high ceilings, and everything they said echoed._

_LITTLE big…LITTLE big…_

"_How can we make it smaller?" Chikoro asked, flipping through a few papers in the mailbox of the house. "Aha! To increase or decrease house space, simply input the desired size into your control panel located right above the mail box!"_

_Chikoro looked up and opened a small panel just above the mailbox. "Okay…select decrease. Now what?"_

"_At least cut it in half!" Zaiten urged her. "This is huge!"_

"_Okay, okay!" Chikoro sighed. "50x40…enter!"_

_The house made a whirling noise, and the next thing the two knew, they were standing in the exact same spot, only in a much smaller house. Chikoro frowned. "My dream house is gone!"_

"_This is plenty large!" Zaiten told her. "What is our sell back price?"  
_

"_Oh…100,000 GP…" Chikoro said, taking out the bag of GP. "Shouldn't it be 500,000 GP?"_

"_The selling price is much smaller then the buying price…" Zaiten cried. "My poor GP was wasted…"_

"_Oh well, now that we've got more GP, let's go shopping for some more furniture!" Chikoro giggled, running out the door. Zaiten looked after her, his jaw resting comfortably on the floor, his pockets quite empty._

"So, I spent a bit of it--"

"Three fourths of it…"

"On more furniture!" Chikoro grinned. "And now we need your help setting it up! Our house is called 'Midnight Ring'! It's perfect, a dream home!"

"I guess it'll be cool to have a house," Iam smiled at the group. "Let's go and set it up, shall we?"

* * *

"CHIKORO! This is a huge pile of furniture!"

"Well we didn't have time to set it all up after it got reset by the enhancement…" Chikoro frowned, pulling out a rug from the mile high pile of furniture of which she had bought. "The house will look great once we stuff it with all this furniture. Now, I think this rug should go under the coffee table, what do you think?"

"Coffee table?" Orizo asked, looking in the pile. "Where's that?"

"Near the bottom," Chikoro said, waving her hand as if dismissing the matter. She put the rug down in the middle of the room and smile. "Okay, next piece! Orizo-sama, since you're so strong, you and the guys can set up the meeting table in the next room!"

"Let me…" Gabriella sighed, walking over to the meeting table and picking it up with one hand. The group gasped, their eyes wide. "My strength stat is pretty high. Online characters, remember?"

They nodded and began to take out the furniture to deposit in the room. Iam started by hanging plants and placing stools around the room. Orizo and Zaiten set up the coffee table and chairs. Tiyra and Sersen moved the sofa to the front of the coffee table, and Gabriella and Achean started to set up –

"A poker table?" Gabriella asked, looking at Chikoro, who simply whistled innocently.

"This is going a lot faster then I thought it would," Vizota commented, smiling as she hung a painting of a Grunty on the left wall. "It's really starting to come together, isn't it?"

"You're right," Barai smiled, putting a whicker chair near the coffee table. "It's awesome to have a house like this."

"It's not just a house!" Chikoro said, clenching her fist passionately. "It's our base of operations! The big HQ!"

"Whatever," Iam sweatdropped, stuffing a potted plant into a corner. "Hey, do you guys know if these plants wilt?"

"They're just pixels," Gabriella told her. "Stop asking stupid questions."

"Ow!" Iam said, backing up.

"It wasn't a diss…" Gabriella narrowed her eyes.

"Not you," Iam told her. "Something just elbowed me in the side! I'm taking off my headset to check. AFK."

* * *

Mai shook her hair out as she lifted her headset off her eyes. She looked around for whatever had elbowed her, but saw no one. "Mom? Dad?"

She stood up and walked towards her door, looking out into the hall to see if anyone was in it. She saw no one, and turned back towards her computer to see the culprit.

"Shizuma!"

"Huh?" Shizuma turned around, his brown hair frazzled and matted. "Oh…hi Mai!" he said nervously. "What's up?"

"What are you doing at my computer?" Mai asked, frowning and walking over to her little brother, who was currently seated in front of her computer. "And what's in that bag?"

Shizuma looked down at his hand to see that he still had the "Start Button" plastic bag in his hand. He grinned at her. "Umm…toothpaste?"

"Since when does a game store sell toothpaste?" Mai asked angrily. "Shizuma, move over. I'm playing with my friends."

"But look Mai!" Shizuma pleaded with her and took out a box from the bag. Mai looked at it and frowned.

On the box was "The World" logo, and underneath it in golden letters were the words "Plus Pack". "You bought a Plus Pack?" she asked. "Forget it Shizuma, you're not playing my game."

"I spent my own money and everything!" Shizuma said. "You can't stop me from playing!"

"It's MY computer and MY game," she retorted, narrowing her eyebrows. "And I'm saying you can't play!"

"I'm telling Dad!" Shizuma told his big sister, jumping from the chair and running out of the room, Mai on his heels.

"Shizuma!" Mai called after her brother as he ran down the stairs towards his father, who was currently working on some papers at the dinner table.

"Dad!" Shizuma said, and their father looked up, his blond hair smoothed down as if he had just come home from work. "Dad, Mai won't let me play her game!"

"It's MY game," Mai argued. "And I don't want him playing it!"

"I bought a Plus Pack and everything!" Shizuma told his father, holding up the box. "With my own allowance! C'mon, Dad!"

"He'll only ruin it!" Mai said.

"Will not!"

"Will too! You'll just follow me around and be annoying!"

"Will not!"

"Okay, that is _enough_," their father said, and the two immediately quieted down at his tone. "Mai, you're fifteen years old. I'd expect you to be more mature about this."

Mai frowned and Shizuma grinned.

"And Shizuma, you should try to work out your problem before running to me," their father said, and Mai returned the grin that Shizuma had just given her. "But, as I see it, Mai, I think you should let Shizuma play."

"What?" Mai asked, her mouth wide open from shock. "But Dad--"

"I bought my own headset too!" Shizuma said, pointing to his room. "It's in my room! And my own controller! I wouldn't bother you at all!"

"Will too! Just sitting next to you would bother me!"

"If we wore the headset, it wouldn't even be split screen vision!" Shizuma insisted. "So I wouldn't spy on you!"

"Mai, it seems that Shizuma's brought up quite a few good arguments to play the game," their father told her. Mai's face was as red as her character's armor. She was angry that her father couldn't see her side of the argument!

"Dad! The game's dangerous!" she blurted out and her father chuckled.

"Mai," he said, looking at her with an amused expression, "I doubt that an online game is 'dangerous'. Everything will be fine, I assure you." Mai frowned, her face growing redder. She could feel tears coming to her eyes.

"Fine, whatever!" Mai shouted, running up the stairs. "See if I care!" With that, she slammed her door, walking into her room and running into her closet. She looked through the hangers of clothes until she found what she was looking for.

It was Shizuma's scarf that had been her birthday present. She took the scarf, held it in her hands, and ripped it clean in two, throwing it in the waste basket. Mai frowned, "He deserved it."

"Mai! I'm here to set up my character!" Shizuma said, running through the door, a wide smile on his face, the plus pack, headset, and controller in his hands.

"I need to log out," she said simply, sitting back down and putting on her headset. "Get yourself a chair."

* * *

"Guys, I have to log," Iam said to the group. The house was now completely set up, and it actually looked quite nice. Earth tones covered the house, and it seemed Chikoro had paid for beige paint to go with the hardwood floor. "Shizuma needs to make his character."

"Your little brother?" Orizo asked. "He's going to play?"

"You don't sound happy," Barai grinned. "Don't want little bro doing your thing huh? My older brother is the same way."

"He'll just be annoying!" Iam snapped, making the others twitch slightly. "You don't get it. Shizuma is totally annoying. He's the worst little brother in the world. And soon, he's going to be the worst little brother in "The World."."

"I don't see the difference…"

"Gabriella, it's a play on words."

"Anyway, I'm logging out," Iam said, bringing up her menu and selecting "Log Out". "See you guys later."

* * *

"Ready?" Mai asked her brother. The two were now seated next to one another, looking at the main menu. Shizuma had already gotten a chair from his room and was now seated next to Mai, the mouse in his hand. "Okay, select "register"."

"Okay," Shizuma nodded, clicking on "Register". He was brought to another screen that read "WELCOME TO THE WORLD". Shizuma cycled through the tutorials and Mai sat back in her chair, bored and still angry. Finally, he got to the character creation screen. "Now what Mai?" he asked, flicking his mouse around the screen.

"Okay, first pick your gender," she told him. "Want to be a girl?"

"No," Shizuma said, frowning angrily. He selected "male" and was taken to a list of class options. "Classes…which should I pick?" His cursor hovered over each of the classes, reading the descriptions, but when he got to "Long Arm", Mai immediately intervened.

"You can't have that class."

"Why not?" Shizuma asked. "It looks cool."

"That's _my _class," Mai told him sternly. "You can't pick that one."

"Maybe I will pick it, just to make you mad," Shizuma grinned, and Mai frowned.

"You better not, or I'll delete your character…" she frowned.

"You can't if you don't know my password!" Shizuma shot back, and Mai stared him down.

"Pick a class. I want to get back on."

"Long Arm is lame anyway. Spears are weird." Shizuma returned to the screen and once again examined each of the classes. "What's this one?"

"Wavemaster. They're wizards."

"Can they fight?"

"No, they're pretty weak," Mai told him. Shizuma frowned.

"I don't want to be weak," he said, and went down to the next class. "What about Heavy Blades?"

"They're really strong," she told him, and Shizuma smiled. "But they're kind of slow, just to warn you." Shizuma once again frowned.

"What about this one?" he asked, clicking on the next class. "Twin Blade?"

Mai frowned, thinking about Hiromi. "You can't have that one either. My best friend has that class."

"So?" Shizuma asked. "I like it. I get two swords instead of one, and I'm really fast. It's awesome. I'm picking this one."

"You can't," Mai told him sternly.

"I'm picking it," Shizuma said, clicking on the class. Mai growled, wishing she could shred her little brother's hair right now. He moved onto designs. "Okay…which design is best?"

Shizuma skirted down through the designs, eagerly looking for the best one. Mai wasn't paying much attention until her brother nudged her and made her look at the screen. "What do you think of this one?" he asked.

The character had messy hair that stuck out at odd ends. On his forehead was a headband, and his cheeks had two sharp markings on them. The character wore a shirt with a wide circular cut that revealed the collar bone. The shirt had short sleeves, much like a tee shirt, and also had two belts that crossed the chest over the shirt and hooked onto the belt on the pants he was wearing. He wore loose pants that were stuffed into black boots. His hands had baggy gloves, and on his hips were two sheathes where daggers sat. "What do you think?" Shizuma asked.

"It's great," Mai assured him. "Now color it."

Shizuma went to the "color scheme" option and quickly began to color the character. The character's shirt was teal with a white trim, while his pants were white with teal trim. The boots were black, and the baggy gloves were brown. The belts crossing his chest were brown as well, and his headband was a teal as were the marks on his face. The character's hair, however, was a shocking shade of orange, much like Achean.

"It looks fine," Mai told him. "Now you have to name him."

Shizuma sat in front of the computer, frowning at the "Name" box. His hands went over to the keyboard, but he pulled back, still thinking. Mai was starting to get extremely annoyed. "Just pick a name, already."

"It's tougher then it looks!" Shizuma snapped, and Mai didn't say anything in response, knowing that her little brother was right. A name was important, especially in "The World". She herself had thought for awhile before picking "Iam". "Okay, I've got one."

Shizuma stretched his hands and moved them over to the keyboard. He rested his fingers down and typed out "Dekai". He then hit "okay".

"Dekai?" Mai asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why that name?"

"He's one of my favorite characters on _Mecha Samurai_," Shizuma grinned, and Mai facefaulted. Leave it to a child to name his character after a robot on a kid's show. "Great! The name isn't taken!" he smiled and clicked "Next" to proceed. "I think I'm ready now."

"Okay, now click 'return to menu'," Mai told him, and Shizuma did as he was told. The screen was blank for a few seconds until it returned to the menu screen, where Mai frowned to see that there were two half screens for "The World". On the left side, her side, were the words "Player: Iam". On Shizuma's side were the words "Player: Dekai". "Man, this bites," Mai said, plugging in her controller. Shizuma plugged in his as well, as well as his headset. "Okay, now you've got your character, go and have fun with your friends or whatever."

"You're not even going to show me how to play?" Shizuma asked, a cross expression on his face.

"No," Mai shook her head. "It's not hard. Figure it out yourself."

"C'mon Mai! I'll tell Dad!"

Mai growled as she put on her headset. "Fine, fine! Meet me at the Chaos Gate in Mac Anu. You'll start there automatically, so just don't move."

"Okay!" Shizuma smiled, obviously enjoying himself. He put on his headset and both he and his sister grasped their controllers. They both moved their cursors until they were hovering over "Log In" and pressed the enter button.

'_One more chapter…'

* * *

_

Iam materialized in front of the Chaos Gate in Mac Anu. Because she had logged out in her new home, she had rematerialized in Mac Anu instead of Dun Loireag. She looked around, but saw no sign of her little brother's character.

"Man, I bet he's having problems already," Iam sighed, shaking her head. "How annoying."

"Oh! Hi Mai!"

Iam looked up to see none other then Dekai running towards her from a group of players. He had a broad grin on his face and was holding up a pair of Level One blades that were an improvement over his class. "Dekai!" Iam scolded. "Call me Iam here, got that? And I'll call you 'Dekai', okay?"

"Oh, okay Iam," Dekai nodded, running up to his sister and standing next to her. Iam frowned to see that Dekai was the same height as her character.

"I told you not to move," Iam reminded him.

"Sorry, I was just talking to those people over there!" Dekai pointed to a Wavemaster and a Heavy Blade, who were now walking away. "They like _Mecha Samurai _too! And they gave me these blades they found in a dungeon!"

Iam couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy at Dekai's quick way of making friends. Leave it to a kid to be blunt. "Did you get their member addresses?"

"Oh! Yeah!" Dekai nodded. "They told me how to do it, so you don't have to teach me that. I'm going to get lots of addresses. How many do you have?"

"Sixteen," Iam said, lying slightly. She had her nine friends, Ryo-Oki, BlackRose, Hotaru, and Moyotu. That technically made thirteen, but she decided that exaggerating slightly wouldn't hurt anyone.

"I'm going to get even more then you!" Dekai grinned. "I've already got three!"

"There were only two people over there," Iam said.

"I'm going to get yours, right?" he asked, and Iam paused. She sighed, but knew that if she didn't yield her member address to Dekai, he would only pester her until she did.

"All right, all right. Mine's 57434432," she told him reluctantly, and Dekai paused as his player added the address.

"Mine's 59341989," he said, grinning. "I'm going to change my e-mail address and put that in there."

"It's too long, you'll never remember it," said Iam sternly as she added Dekai to her friend's list. His picture popped up, and Iam scowled at the smiling orange haired boy that was now a member of her party list. "But that means I have fourteen now."

"I thought you said you had sixteen before."

"Right! I meant seventeen," she said, blushing slightly.

"Okay, now let's form a party!" Dekai said, clenching his fist in excitement. "And go fight monsters!"

"How come you already know so much?" Iam asked.

"I've been reading the manuals ever since you got the game," Dekai shrugged, smiling. "I know a lot."

"Then why are you having me show you how to play?" Iam shouted, severely annoyed.

"It never hurts to have some real practice!" said Dekai. "And who better to do it with then my big sister?"

"Fine, whatever," Iam growled. _This sucks. Won't he just go off with his new friends and his new blades? _"I'm sending you an invite."

In a moment after the Flash Mail was sent out, Dekai had joined Iam's party. Although their numbers didn't exactly match, Dekai being only level 1 and Iam being level 29, Dekai didn't complain. "Let's go to a super tough area!"

"No thanks," Iam shook her head. "We're going to a level 1 area so you can get the hang of things."

"All right, but at least let me pick it," Dekai frowned, walking forward. Iam sighed as her little brother filtered through the areas, taking forever to pick a good one. "Okay, how about Δ **Bright Fading Sword? **

"Level?"

"One."

"Really?"

"_Yes._"

Iam checked the area and saw that it was indeed level one. Although she was surprised, she didn't let it show as she selected the area. "All right, let's get this over with."

* * *

The two materialized in a Wood Elemental area, covered with trees and blowing grass. Iam guessed that many newbie areas were set to the peaceful environments as to not freak new players out off the bat. "Okay," Iam said to her younger brother. "Now, find a yellow portal and we'll fight."

"I know, I know," Dekai nodded, grinning and looking around. "Let's head…" he paused, searching around until finally pointing west, "that way!" With that, Dekai sprinted off, Iam doing her best to keep up.

"Hyah!" Dekai slashed his daggers as two Goblins ran towards the group. Iam sliced one with her spear, killing it in one blow. She, saying that she had done her part, simply watched Dekai finish off the other goblins. As the last monster fell to the ground, Dekai jumped into the air. "Oh yeah! Owned!"

"Any newbie can take down _those _monsters," Iam had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes. "C'mon, we'll fight until you hit level 2, and then I'm going back to play with my friends."

But Dekai wasn't paying attention. He was already on the next Golden portal, killing more monsters and gaining more exp. Iam looked after him, slightly annoyed that her little brother wasn't at least getting flustered by her remarks. But, reluctantly, she followed, killing off monsters if Dekai ever got into trouble.

But, truth be told, Dekai was a natural at "The World". He obviously had been reading Iam's player manuals more then she thought. He knew how many levels the dungeons had, where he could monsters, and the difference between Risky and Normal treasure. In fact, he was so at home with the game, Iam would have assumed that he wasn't even a newbie.

"All right, next is the Gott Statue, right?" Dekai asked, smiling.

"Yeah, whatever," Iam sighed. "Let's just go, all right?"

"Thanks for showing me around," Dekai said as the two collected the treasure from the Gott Statue. "I really owe you one. When I'm a super strong hero, I'll do something for you."

"Don't count on it," Iam snapped. "Okay, I'm using a Sprite Ocarina. I'm bored of this."

* * *

"I helped you out," Iam told her younger brother as the two materialized back in Mac Anu. "I'm going to my house now."

"You've got a house?" Dekai asked, eyes as wide as saucers. "Can I see it? Can I get my own house?"

"It's not just mine," Iam told her brother, blushing slightly. "I share it with my nine friends."

"So it's like a college pad?" Dekai asked, smiling. "That's so cool! I'm going to get for Sora, Minoru, Kaoru and me!"

"They're expensive," Iam told her brother. "Over one million GP." This was actually another exaggeration. Only Chikoro's dream home that was big enough to house four elephants cost that much, but a decent sized home did cost over 400,000 GP. And Mac Anu was the cheapest residential area.

"I'll just raise one million GP then!" Dekai grinned fiercely, obviously motivated. "Just watch! I'll have a house by tomorrow!"

"Have fun with that," Iam said in a monotone voice. "I'm going to go now." With that, the girl turned on her heel into the residential area. Dekai didn't follow her, instead he ran down the stairs of the town and began to talk to a Blademaster and a Twin Blade, asking about joining his party.

Iam scowled after Dekai as she walked into the residential area. "Good riddance. How annoying…" she muttered as she walked through the streets, looking for Midnight Ring.

* * *

"Iam! You're back!" Orizo exclaimed as Iam walked in the door. She looked around to see the house was now completely decorated, and her nine friends were sitting on the sofas and chairs, looking quite comfortable. Orizo had gotten up from his chair, smiling as his best friend came through the door.

"How did the excursion with little bro go?" Barai asked, grinning and scratching his chin with his thumb.

"Horribly," Iam growled, sitting down in the only free chair in the room. "He's so annoying, I swear."

"What did he do?" Orizo asked, sitting back down.

"Well…" Iam began, "nothing really. Just being there, really."

"I'm the baby of the family!" Chikoro grinned, sticking out her tongue. "My two older brothers are in college but still live at home. Mutsohito always hogs the shower, and Noriyuki is usually gone working part time jobs."

"I have one younger sister," Gabriella said. "But you already knew that," she laughed, looking at Iam, Orizo, Zaiten, and Chikoro. "Her name's Kaori, and she's thirteen. Kind of annoying, but we get along fine."

"I've got two younger brothers and two older sisters," laughed Vizota. "Can you believe that? Ryoichi, the baby, he's in his first year of Junior High School, and Takuma's in his third year of Junior High. Mieko's twenty-two and goes to a college in Hokkaido. Sonomi's twenty four and engaged."

"My older brother, Oniji, is eight years older then me," Barai said. "He's married and works a desk job. We're kind of opposites, and don't talk much."

"I'm an only child…" Achean said slowly. "I've got some cousins though, but I like being alone in the family."

"How did I guess?" Iam smiled.

"I myself am also an only child," Zaiten said dramatically, rising to his feet. "I am the only heir to Hibiki Games. My father said that a second heir would complicate things. We might initiate a war over my father's company!"

"That's a little over the top…" Tiyra laughed slightly. "I've got one older brother. I absolutely adore him. Taka-chan is great." She blushed as everyone looked at her. "That's short for Takahiro."

"Three brothers before me," Sersen smiled. "Listen to this: Keiji, Keiki, and Keisuke."

"Woah!" Iam gasped. "How'd they ever keep them straight? They all start with "kei"."

"My father's name was 'Kei' you see," Sersen told them. "He passed away just before Keiji was born. Plane crash. My mother decided to name us all after him."

"What's your name then…?" Chikoro asked, only to receive a hit over the head from Iam.

"Get some netiquette! Don't ask that!" Iam scolded her, then quickly changed the subject by looking at Orizo. "What about you, Orizo? Do you have any siblings?"

Orizo had remained silent for the entire conversation, and, when Iam talked to him, he was taken aback and fidgeted slightly. "Oh, me?" he shook his head. "I-I'm an only child."

"You don't know how lucky you are," Iam sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Oh well, at least Dekai is out of my hair now."

"Don't say that," Vizota said. "He could be listening."

"He's got a headset on too," Iam scoffed. "And so what if he does hear me? I don't care… He annoyed me so much today! And Dad took his side on it! I got so mad I--" she stopped mid sentence and trailed off as she thought about the scarf that she had ripped up earlier that day. Iam didn't admit it, but she felt slightly guilty. After all, her brother had bought that present with his own money and he had actually picked it out himself. To destroy that present just to vent out some silly frustrations on her brother was, "Childish…" she murmured.

"I know he's childish, but he's only twelve," Orizo said, smiling. Iam looked up, paused, and then nodded. "Anyway, let's not talk about your brother. Let's talk about the Prism Bracelet Wielder."

"Right," Iam nodded, sitting forward in her chair. "None of us have received messages, have we?"

"No, not yet," Chikoro shook her head.

"But Wiseman is probably going to be messaging us soon," Sersen told them. "He said he'd do some digging, so we should be on the lookout."

A small "ding" echoed through the room, and nine of the ten Prism Hackers looked up over Iam's head as a small piece of mail popped up above her head. "It's a message!" she gasped. "I'm going to read it, one second." She selected the mail and her e-mail browser came up.

The message wasn't from Wiseman, but from Kalen. It read very simply:

* * *

Iam –

The ten of you need to meet me in Dun Loireag ASAP. There's a problem.

Kalen

* * *

"It's from Kalen," Iam said, shutting off the e-mail and returning to the game. "We have to head to Dun Loireag, stat."

"What for?" Gabriella asked as the ten got up to head to the door.

"He just said 'there's a problem'," Iam explained. "I don't know anything more."

"What kind of problem?" Tiyra asked as the ten left the house and began to walk swiftly through the streets of the residential area. "Did he find the Prism Bracelet Wielder?"

"I don't know," Iam shook her head. "But it seems like bad news."

"Well then we've got no choice," Barai said, grabbing his bow and breaking into a run. "We've got to get there as soon a possible!"

* * *

"Guys, you made it."

Ten sets of golden rings appeared near the Chaos Gate of Dun Loireag. Emerging from them were the ten Prism Hackers, facing their hacker friend, Kalen, who was currently typing on his keyboard. "Kalen, what's the matter?" Chikoro asked, her eyebrows high in an anxious stare.

Kalen stopped typing, levitated his keyboard behind him and looked at them. "We have a problem."

"You told us that," Gabriella snapped. "What else?"

"What's the problem?" Vizota asked.

"You guys officially have a predator," Kalen said, and the ten widened their eyes. "Not the Prism Players. The system is actually after you."

"You mean the administrators?" Sersen asked, extending his claws. "You're joking! They're trying to delete us?"

"No way," Kalen smirked. "Those fools don't have the power to delete your characters. No, this predator is much stronger then any administrator, for sure."

"What could be possibly after us?" Iam asked. "Especially in the system?"

Kalen paused, as if thinking of what to say in response. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak. "Do you guys know about virus protection software?"

There was an odd pause as the ten looked at each other. It was a rather odd thing to bring up at the time, but slowly Achean spoke. "Yeah, so?"

"Virus Protection software deletes any files that have any of the following," Kalen said, raising three fingers. "If it has a virus, it's of course deleted." He lowered his ring finger. "If it has a risk for a virus, it's deleted." He lowered his middle finger. "And the last one is what you guys are to the system."

"Pray, what are we?" Zaiten asked.

"Foreign," Kalen finished coldly. "Your rings are foreign to the system. The virus protection sees you as a possible threat."

"We're the target of virus protection software?" Gabriella asked loudly. "What the hell are we supposed to do to stop an entire program?"

"What _is _the virus protection?" Iam asked Kalen, and he turned to her. "Does…does it have a name?"

"Yes," Kalen nodded gravely, his dark goggles shining as he spoke. "Cubia."

* * *

_Kalen –_

_I have bad news. In my research, I found an energy surge that I haven't seen for five years. It seems that "The World" has picked up on our ten hackers._

_That's right. Cubia's back. Its job is to destroy any abnormalities in "The World", and it seems the Knights count as abnormalities. I can only assume that the ten of them are in extreme danger at the moment._

_You very well know that Cubia and Kite's bracelet, the bracelet of the Twilight, are one and the same. Cubia is infested with the divine power of Aura the same as Kite. Which is probably why, now that Aura is the Goddess of the system, Cubia has left all those with the bracelet of the Twilight be. _

_But it seems Aura isn't going to or can't dictate to Cubia not to attack the Prism knights. It's gathering energy. The attack will definitely come soon._

_Destroying Kite's bracelet again is not an option, and I suggest you don't inform him of this. If I know my friend, he will undoubtedly sacrifice the bracelet for those ten. If the Prism Knights fall, he might be our last chance against the Prism Wave._

_Not all hope is lost, though. I've found another way, put into the system by Prisma. An Anti-Cubia, of whom I have named X-Cubia. X-Cubia is directly manifested of Prism energy, but is currently in hibernation. I see no hope of waking X-Cubia as our team is now. _

_A bit ago, you messaged me about the Prism Bracelet Wielder. I have a feeling that he or she is our only hope for waking X-Cubia. So tell those ten this:_

_They have a limited amount of time. Find the Prism Bracelet wielder as soon as possible. Without him or her, Cubia will constantly hunt the Prism Knights until they are destroyed. _

_I'll explain the details of the battle to you later. I still have a few kinks to work out, and as soon as I'm finished, I'll send you a message. _

_Good luck,_

_Wiseman

* * *

_

The End of the chapter! I hope you all liked that one! Oh, and if you have any ideas about what's coming up, please don't give it away in a review! I don't want to ruin the story for other people!

Speaking of reviews, don't forget to leave one! I would REALLY appreciate one after all of my hard work! Thanks again for your support, and let's hope for 100,000 words!

Until then,

Ciao for now!


	17. A Fall From Grace

Hello everyone! Been a while hasn't it? Sorry for the wait, but I've been super busy lately. I hope you all found other stories to occupy yourselves with! I recommended some good ones, remember? Mmm'yes. You'd better all be reading them!

Anyway, I'm glad that all you patrons have returned to read the next chapter! This one is a DOOZY and as I begin typing, I can't help but be a little intimidated by my plans for it. No negative thoughts allowed, right? Let's hop to it!

* * *

Chapter 17 – A Fall From Grace

* * *

_Kalen –_

_I have bad news. In my research, I found an energy surge that I haven't seen for five years. It seems that "The World" has picked up on our ten hackers._

_That's right. Cubia's back. Its job is to destroy any abnormalities in "The World", and it seems the Knights count as abnormalities. I can only assume that the ten of them are in extreme danger at the moment._

_You very well know that Cubia and Kite's bracelet, the bracelet of the Twilight, are one and the same. Cubia is infested with the divine power of Aura the same as Kite. Which is probably why, now that Aura is the Goddess of the system, Cubia has left all those with the bracelet of the Twilight be. _

_But it seems Aura isn't going to or can't dictate to Cubia not to attack the Prism knights. It's gathering energy. The attack will definitely come soon._

_Destroying Kite's bracelet again is not an option, and I suggest you don't inform him of this. If I know my friend, he will undoubtedly sacrifice the bracelet for those ten. If the Prism Knights fall, he might be our last chance against the Prism Wave._

_Not all hope is lost, though. I've found another way, put into the system by Prisma. An Anti-Cubia, of whom I have named X-Cubia. X-Cubia is directly manifested of Prism energy, but is currently in hibernation. I see no hope of waking X-Cubia as our team is now. _

_A bit ago, you messaged me about the Prism Bracelet Wielder. I have a feeling that he or she is our only hope for waking X-Cubia. So tell those ten this:_

_They have a limited amount of time. Find the Prism Bracelet wielder as soon as possible. Without him or her, Cubia will constantly hunt the Prism Knights until they are destroyed. _

_I'll explain the details of the battle to you later. I still have a few kinks to work out, and as soon as I'm finished, I'll send you a message. _

_Good luck,_

_Wiseman

* * *

_

"I don't get it," Chikoro murmured to Kalen. "So this thing…Cubia…is trying to delete us?" 

"We've been reduced to viruses," Achean muttered. "It's a little embarrassing."

"A little?" Gabriella exclaimed, slamming her fist on a pillar near the Chaos Gate. "This is ridiculous! Why isn't Prisma doing anything?"

"She can't," Kalen told her sternly. "And how the hell am I supposed to know why Prisma does what she does?"

"You're the big hacker, aren't you?" Gabriella snapped back. "You know everything, right?"

"No one knows everything," Kalen snapped back. "If I knew everything, I wouldn't be here right now!" There was a deafening pause.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Barai asked sternly. Kalen looked at him, then shook his head.

"Nothing," he sighed. "Anyway, this is no time to be arguing. Cubia's on the move, and you guys don't have much time to find the Prism Bracelet wielder."

"We're doing everything we can," Tiyra insisted. The others nodded in consensus as to agree with their white clad teammate. "But we don't know where to start searching. It could be anyone, right?"

"Tiyra-san has a point," Zaiten brought up, stepping forward. "This search seems fruitless. We've yet to find any clues towards the identity of our Prism Bracelet wielder. Isn't there anything you can tell us?"

"Look, this is a team effort. I can't do everything," Kalen said.

"Stop being such a dick!" Gabriella snapped, stomping up to Kalen and grabbing his shirt collar. "We don't know what the hell we're doing out here! We're about to become virus protection food!"

"Gabriella, stop it!" Iam insisted, stepping forward and catching Gabriella's eyes. She stopped and took a step back to see that it was not anger that was on Gabriella's face, but fear. Iam looked around to see an expression matching Gabriella's on many of the faces. Chikoro, Tiyra, Barai, Vizota, and everyone else were expressing their own form of dead fear.

"I-If we get deleted…" Chikoro murmured, shaking slightly. "If we get deleted, we're dead, right? W-we don't stand a chance unless we can find something that we don't even know how to look for!" Chikoro looked at the ground and clenched her fists.

Vizota bit her lip. "Chikoro's right…we have no clues at all!" She slammed her foot on the ground and shouted desperately. "This seems hopeless!"

"Don't say that!"

Iam looked up to see Orizo stepping forward, taking out his two blades and pointing one of them at Chikoro. "This isn't over!" Chikoro looked up, a shocked expression on her face. The others gathered slowly around Orizo and he sheathed his blades and clenched his fists. "I didn't believe in our abilities this long just to give up half-way! We have to believe in ourselves, don't we? We didn't know how to look for the Prism Ryu Books either, but we found those too! We'll find this Bracelet wielder."

Iam smiled warmly and nodded to him, feeling a warm sensation rise up within her body as Orizo spoke the encouraging words to the team. "It's true," Kalen murmured to Iam and she turned to look at him. "You guys have to believe in your abilities. It's too late to give up. "The World" is in danger and you guys are the only ones that can stop the threat." Kalen looked at Iam and nodded to her.

"Right," Iam nodded back, stepping forward. "All right guys!" She called, and the nine other Prism Knights turned around to face their red clad companion. "This is where we break out the big guns! We're scouring every server, checking for reactions or energy surges! Split up and go!"

There was a pause as the group looked at Iam, confused. However, Orizo smiled and stepped forward to her. "Let's check out **Delta **Iam. Chikoro, Zaiten, can you check out here?"

"R-right!" Chikoro nodded. "You've got it Orizo-sama! We'll find the wielder for sure!"

"We'll get **Lambda!**" Gabriella said, grabbing Achean's elbow and pulling him towards her.

"We'll handle **Sigma**!" Tiyra and Sersen nodded to each other. "This'll be a breeze."

"That leaves us with **Omega,**" Barai said to Vizota, and she nodded. "After that, we can find a B player to scour **Beta** and Tiyra and Sersen can check out **Alpha **again."

"We're on it," Tiyra nodded to the two. "Let's go Sersen! We've got some searching to do!" Sersen nodded to his companion and the two walked briskly over to the Chaos Gate, new energy evident in all ten of the warriors.

"We'll be off then," Iam said to Kalen and he smiled at her. "You get in contact with Wiseman and get all the details on this fight coming up."

"She's right," Orizo said, stepping forward. "Something tells me that a fight's coming up, even if we find our mystery wielder. So can we trust you to get us the info we need to fight?"

Kalen looked at the two, shook his head, and smiled at them, shaking his hair slightly backwards. "Please. If I can't at least do that, I really am useless, aren't I?"

"Heh, no way!" Iam grinned. "Anyway, we've got work to do! See you later Kalen!"

"See you around," Kalen smiled, waving as two by two, the pairs divided out towards their separate assignments. He looked at the Chaos Gate after the last pair and smiled up at the sky of Dun Loireag. "If only I _did _know everything…"

* * *

"This is pointless! I'm logging out!"

"Fine! We don't need you anyway!"

"C'mon you two, stop fighting! We're not going to get anything done if you two just keep biting each other's heads off like this," Mia scolded her two friends, Ryu and Ryo-Oki as the two walked through Mac Anu. It had been a long time since the three had split up from Iam and the others, and so far, no sign of the Prism Bracelet wielder had been found.

"He started it!" Ryo-Oki grimaced.

"Look at the facts," Ryu said sharply, stomping his foot on the ground. "We've scoured every server and found nothing! We're looking for a needle in a haystack! No, more like a needle in a continent!"

"But we said we'd help them!" Ryo-Oki said anxiously. "I can't just break my promise like that! Iam and the others are counting on us!"

"They're counting on you, not me!" Ryu snapped. "Pay me if you want me to keep walking in circles like this."

"_You're _walking in circles?"

The three looked up to see none other then Ouka, Hotaru, Mireille, Shugo, and Rena standing in front of them, looking quite tired out after a long search. "We haven't found anything either," Rena said, frowning. "Onii-chan's bracelet hasn't had a reaction."

"Neither has mine," Ryo-Oki said, lifting up her bracelet.

"Mine too."

The groups jumped three feet in the air as the sudden voice came from behind them. "Ack! Don't do that Kite! That was scary!" Ryo-Oki snapped, clutching her chest as she stared at Balmung, BlackRose, and Kite standing in front of them.

"My bracelet hasn't had any reaction either," Kite said, lifting up his wrist. "It's already been so long. No clues."

"Darn straight!" BlackRose sighed, shaking her head. "This is hopeless!"

"We shouldn't give up yet," Balmung assured them all. "We simply have to keep our eyes open."

"We _have _been keeping our eyes open," Ryu snapped at Balmung. He turned to face the winged blademaster, a genuine expression of frustration growing on his face. "And nothing has come up! I'm starting to think this guy doesn't even exist!"

"Just shut up!" Ouka snapped from across the road.

"Make me!" Ryu shouted back.

"Stop fighting you two!" Mireille scolded them, stepping forward.

"Everyone be quiet!" BlackRose commanded.

"Don't start giving orders!"

"Hey! Get out of our way or I'll PK you!"

The groups turned from their fight to see a player with long green hair in high bangs and wearing baggy pants with a tight violet top was staring at them. He was a twin blade with blades jutting from wrist devices. He was grinning maliciously, and Kite, BlackRose, and Balmung stepped aside to let the player through.

"C'mon Dekai!" he grinned again, motioning to his friend.

The adventurers turned as the twin blade ran through to see another twin blade following him. This one looked much more pleasant with orange messy hair and a teal top and white shorts. He had a brown belt across his shirt and rough looking boots on his feet. He smiled at them as he followed his friend.

"What the--?" Shugo exclaimed.

What happened next was like a slow-motion sequence appearing right before their eyes. Before any of them could understand what was happening, Kite, Ryo-Oki, and Shugo's wrists were raised high in the air and were pointing at Dekai. Dekai stopped in the middle of the three groups and gasped, looking around as the bracelets all glowed with a white light. His eyes were almost as wide as the people in the large crowd that was staring at him along with the three bracelet holders. "W-wait!" Ryo-Oki gasped. "Our bracelets are glowing! That must mean--"

"That must mean--!" Mia exclaimed.

"That must mean--!" Rena gasped.

The lights shot forward and illuminated Dekai's character in a shining beam of silver light. However, the minute it hit him, it repelled off of him by a black shimmering stream of energy and ricocheted off in hundreds of directions throughout the sky. "What the heck?" Dekai asked, looking at the flying lights above him.

The three bracelet wielders looked at each other and smiled widely. "That must mean we found the Prism Bracelet Wielder!"

* * *

"Hey, what's that?" Iam looked up from the back alleyway of Mac Anu to see the shimmering silver light shoot up in to the sky.

"It's beautiful," Orizo observed, stepping forward. "Is it an event? I'm going to take a screenshot!" he smiled at Iam and she smiled back.

"Oh, we've got a message!" Iam said as a small "plink!" sounded and a piece of mail appeared above her head. "Maybe they found something!"

Iam paused and Orizo looked at her as the silver streams continued to fly over their heads. He was obviously curious, and Iam took a long time reading the message. Finally, she turned her head to Orizo and smiled extremely widely. "Orizo! Ryo-Oki found something! Here in Mac Anu! They found him!"

"What?" Orizo asked, his eyes as wide as saucers. "They found him?"

"Yeah!" Iam nodded. "Right here in Mac Anu! They said they're in the road near the Chaos Gate! Let's go!"

"What do you think he's like?" Orizo asked as the two sprinted off down the alleyway. Iam was grinning widely, obviously ecstatic. The two picked up their strides regularly, as if growing more excited as they came closer.

"How am I supposed to know?" Iam laughed, her feet still high. "But this is the best! We've found him! The wielder is finally on our side! We're one step closer to winning Orizo!" She took a deep breath and she rounded the corner on to the street. "We're one step closer to saving "The World!""

"Iam," Orizo looked at his best friend and smiled as they slowed down. "I'm…really relieved…"

"I am too, Orizo," Iam smiled at him and looked at the still shimmering sky. "I'm so happy! This is…amazing!" She finished her sentence and spun around in pure bliss. "I'm so happy I'm a Ring Holder! I'm so happy I met all of you!" She turned to him and threw her arms around his neck. He blinked slightly, and then slowly hugged her back, smiling slightly. "And I'm so happy…that we're not going to die. I'm so happy that we found the Prism Bracelet wielder…"

"Iam!" Ryo-Oki called to the two, and they immediately broke, blushing a soft pink. Iam gave Orizo one last smile before turning to the blonde girl in front of her. "Look! Come meet him!"

"What's his name?" Orizo asked as the crowd parted to reveal their find. As Rena and Ouka moved and the young man stepped forward, Iam gasped, her eyes wide with shock and dejection. She stepped back, as if shell-shocked, or unable to grasp what stood in front of her.

"Mai?" Dekai asked, his eyes wide. "What's going on?"

* * *

"You're meaning to tell you that…the Prism Bracelet wielder," Barai began, "is your brother?" The entire group was back at Midnight Ring, gathered in the house and all sitting on the couches and chairs. Over twenty people were crammed into the house, Dekai sitting on a chair being grilled by the Prism Knights.

Iam had not said a word for the past half an hour. Orizo sat next to her, looking at her anxiously, as if afraid of what she might say. Dekai, however, had been asking a million questions. "So you guys are hackers? That's awesome! Why didn't you tell me M—Iam? Am I hacker too? Can I give myself lots of money or something? Why did your bracelets glow?"

"One question at a time, kiddo," Sersen remarked, shaking his head and sighing.

"You see," Tiyra sat down next to Dekai and started to explain, "you're a hacker like us. We're the Prism Knights, and you're the Prism Bracelet wielder. Or…at least we think."

"What does that mean?" Dekai asked. "Is this a game thing?"

"No," Tiyra shook her head. "You see…right now…there are hackers out there--"

"Aren't you hackers?" Dekai asked.

"These are bad ones. They want to destroy "The World". We have to stop them," she said. "That's our—your job."

"So you mean I'm a _hero_!" Dekai asked, a huge grin on his face. "That's so cool! I'm a hero of the Internet! So you guys need me to stop these hackers, right?"

"But what I don't get…" Ryo-Oki began. "How can he be the 'Prism Bracelet Wielder' if he doesn't have a bracelet?"

"Too bad Sora logged out," Dekai frowned. "I could've told him. He'd be totally stoked about this! It's awesome! I'm a hero!"

"Shut up, will you?"

Dekai looked up to see Iam staring at him with a dark glare. The others looked at her and saw a side of Iam none of them had ever laid eyes on. Her black eyes were overclouded with darkness, and her mouth was puckered. Her cheeks were pale, and her eyebrows were narrowed dangerously. It was obvious that Iam was angrier then any of them had ever seen her.

It was more of an uncontrollable rage.

"Your voice irritates me," Iam snarled. "Just be quiet. You're no hero. This is obviously a fluke."

"Iam…are you okay?" Chikoro asked, putting her hand on Iam's shoulder, only to have it batted away.

"I'm fine," she snapped, standing up. "C'mon guys. We've got to keep looking. This is obviously a mistake."

"You're just jealous!" Dekai taunted. The others looked at him, then at Iam with anxious faces. Dekai had snapped a nerve.

"Shut the hell up," she turned slowly around to face her younger brother. Dekai flinched and looked at her with a fearful expression. His smirk had disappeared from his face, and was replaced with a slightly gaping mouth. Iam licked her lips and finished her statement. "I hate the sight of you."

"Iam!" Orizo stood up and spun her around to face him. "Take that back! What the hell's your problem?"

"Orizo-sama's right!" Chikoro said, stepping forward. "We found the Prism bracelet wielder, didn't we? Why aren't you happy? Just because he's your little brother?"

"He shouldn't even be here!" Iam snapped cruelly. "He's not the wielder! If he is, where's his bracelet? ANSWER THAT!"

"You've got it."

The group's eyes widened as none other then Kalen materialized in a whoosh of golden rings in front of them. He landed on his feet as gracefully as a cat and stepped forward to face them.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Iam asked, her eyes wide. "We've got the bracelet?"

"Yeah," Kalen said sternly. "You guys…the Prism Knights…are only the first step in the fight against the Prism Players. This guy," Kalen nodded to Dekai, "is the second."

"I don't get it," Gabriella said. "What do you mean?"

"Come with me," Kalen said, motioning to them all. "You Aura folks too," he said to Kite and the others. "This isn't a good place to do it. We're going to the Chaos Gate."

* * *

"Why'd you bring us here?" Sersen asked Kalen as all twenty two people stood in the small niche that led to the Chaos Gate. Kalen typed a few things on his keyboard and sighed. "What's the big idea? A little explanation would be nice."

"This is how it works," Kalen said. "X Cubia needs the Prism Bracelet, remember?"

"Y-yes…" Iam nodded.

"And we need to have the two cancel each other out, right?" Kalen said to the group. "Like negative and positive polarities. So that means they have to be equal in power."

"This is making no sense!" Gabriella exclaimed. "What do you mean?"

"Perhaps I can explain."

The group turned as none other then Wiseman stepped through the Chaos Gate, staff in hand, a severe expression on his face. "Kalen…I think that now would be a good time."

"Right," Kalen nodded. He went to his keyboard and began to type. Clear green tinted screens appeared and he pressed small sections on them, making them disappear. After around a minute of work, he pressed the "enter" key.

The group gasped as the other players in the world suddenly disappeared right before their eyes. Silence erupted in Mac Anu, and there was not a sound to be heard except for the breathing of the twenty three gathered around the Chaos Gate. "Wh-what happened?" Vizota asked, her eyes wide, sweat on her brow.

"I just crashed the server," Kalen grinned, putting his keyboard behind his back. "Simple enough. But it won't work for long. We've got to get this done quick."

"What do you mean?" Rena asked. "Get what done quick? Mind explaining to us everything?"

"I suppose with my friends here," Wiseman nodded towards Aura's group, "it would be best to explain everything about Cubia and our Prism wielders."

And so, Wiseman explained to the eleven of Aura's group exactly what had been going on underneath the fabric of "The World". Cubia's return and hunt for the Prism Knights, the Prism Players and their plans with the Epitaph of the Prism, and his plan to stop Cubia using X Cubia.

"So X Cubia and Cubia will cancel each other out?" Ouka asked, raising an eyebrow. "And that's why you need both bracelets? To summon both?"

"Yes," Wiseman nodded. "If the two energies, pure Prisma and pure Aura, meet at the battlefield, the two powers will collide and destroy each other."

"That sounds heavy," Ryu remarked.

"Yeah," Ryo-Oki nodded, biting her lip. "So we have to go to the battlefield and fight Cubia? With these ten? And Dekai?"

Wiseman looked at Kalen and Kalen sighed, adjusting his goggles. "You always leave me with the tough subjects, don't you Wiseman?" he smiled at his Wavemaster friend, who simply bowed back.

"Forgive me," he smiled slightly and Kalen nodded and turned towards Aura's group.

"This is where I have bad news," Kalen said, moving his head around the circle of people. "For all you. Well," he paused at Dekai, "for most of you."

"What's…the bad news?" Chikoro asked, anxious.

"To create the pure energy needed…and to give Dekai his bracelet," Kalen said to the group of Prism Knights. "You guys have to add your energy to create it."

"No problem!" Orizo stepped forward and showed off his handguard. "We'll just combine our powers to make it!"

"You don't understand…" Kalen murmured and Orizo looked up, along with the others. "What I mean by "add your energy"," he said, looking very upset and trying to find the right way to say it, "is…what I really mean is that you'll…"

"We'll what?" Vizota asked.

"You'll have to give up your rings."

The Prism Knights' eyes all widened in shock, and Orizo stepped back from surprise. Many of them raised their hands and looked at their rings with an odd expression on their face. Iam was the only one who stepped forward. "No way! I won't do it! We'll fight Cubia without the bracelet!"

"Then you'll die," Kalen said coldly and Iam winced slightly.

"What about us…?" BlackRose asked. "What do we have to do?"

"It's the same," Wiseman stepped forward to face them. "Two of you," he motioned to Shugo, Ryo-Oki, and Kite, "will have to give your bracelet to the other one."

"That's crazy!" Ouka exclaimed. "Shugo's bracelet is his own! He's not giving it away!"

"Onii-chan needs the bracelet!" Rena said sternly. "What if…what if we ever get attacked again?"

"And what about Ryo?" Mia asked Wiseman, pulling her friend forward. "Ryo and I have problems to deal with too!"

"This thing has gotten us out of lots of situations," Ryu remarked, blowing a stray hair out of his face. "I'm not giving it up easily."

"And Kite's bracelet saved "The World" before!" shouted BlackRose. "He can't give it up either! You know that!"

"I don't want to do this anymore then you guys do," Kalen remarked. "But it's the only way to beat the Prism Players. If we don't get rid of Cubia and X-Cubia, then we're dead meat."

"What if I destroyed the bracelet?" Kite asked, stepping forward.

"Too risky," Wiseman shook his head. "If these ten should happen to fail, who would stop the Prism Players? A move like that is just what the Prism Players want us to do."

"I don't care what you say!" Iam snapped sharply, making both Kalen and Wiseman turn to face her. Her face was red, and tears were threatening to fall at the corners of her eyes. "Th-there is no fricking way I'm giving this up!" she motioned to her right hand. "This is _mine!"_

"Stop being selfish!" snapped Kalen. "We don't have much time!"

"Don't talk to me about being selfish!" she shrieked, tears now falling down her cheeks. "This is mine! I'm the Prism Hacker, not him!" she pointed savagely at Dekai. "Th-this is all I've got," she cried, "to keep me seeing th--" She stopped abruptly, and then looked down at her shoes. "Guys…you're with me on this right?"

"I don't…know what to say," Tiyra said.

"I'm speechless as well," Zaiten said.

"I know that if we don't…we'll die," Chikoro murmured. "But I still don't want to. I don't want to give it up."

"I don't either…" Gabriella said.

There was a pause between the knights and Aura's warriors. Kalen looked at them, then sighed and shook his shaggy black haired head. "Guys, we don't have a lot of time. Make your choice."

"I'm doing it!" Ryo-Oki exclaimed, stepping forward. Mia and Ryu looked at her with odd expressions. "I'm going to give up the bracelet!"

"Ryo!" Mia stepped forward. "You can't!"

"They're in trouble," Ryo-Oki said, shaking her head. "It's a small sacrifice. I…" she smiled weakly and looked at Mia, as if trying to make the situation better then it was, "I never liked being famous anyway…right?"

"Don't feed me that bull!" Ryu stepped forward next to Ryo. "How can you do this?"

"I'm going through with it…" she nodded to herself. "I'll be fine."

"Ryo…" Mia murmured.

"I'll do it too!" Shugo said, stepping forward next to Ryo-Oki. The group looked at him and he nodded to Rena. "Don't worry Rena. I have to become a hero without this thing, right?" He smiled slightly, shrugging. "No skin off my nose, right?"

"So Kite's the wielder," Wiseman said sternly, stepping forward. Kite, who looked sincerely touched, stepped forward.

"A-are you sure?" he asked.

"You bet," Shugo nodded, giving him a "thumb's up" sign. "I've had this thing for only a year! You've had it for what, five? Seniority rules!"

"Shugo…" Kite smiled. "Thank you…I'll do my best." He turned to Wiseman. "Isn't there a way to get their bracelets back to them?"

"No," Wiseman shook his head. "Not that I know of. Unless…we fail. Which we can't do," he said. "Now, all three of you, get in a circle. Kite, hold out your bracelet wrist."

The three did as they were told, walking very slowly towards the center of the niche. Kite held out his bracelet wrist, and the others waited instruction. "Now…I want you two to grab his wrist." Ryo nodded to Shugo, and the two grabbed Kite's wrist, not allowing themselves to let go.

Golden and white streaming energy began to swirl around the three's wrist as their bracelets began to glow. The three gasped, as did the spectators, as the energy formed a column around the three.

"I-I think I know what to say…" Ryo said to Shugo. "Are you ready, Shugo?"

"Yeah," he nodded, smiling at her and then Kite. "Well Kite, you ready?"

"You've got it," he smiled warmly at the two of them. "Thank you…for the sacrifice."

The two of them took a large breath, closed their eyes, and gathered more energy around them. Their bracelets radiated energy once more, and they opened their eyes and shouted together:

"DATA TRANSFER!"

An explosion of bright white light erupted from the three, and the group shielded their eyes as a huge sound echoed through their ear. The light cleared almost immediately and the group saw Ryo-Oki and Shugo being thrown back into the wall. The group gasped as they ran to the two fallen warrior's sides to help them up.

"Th-thanks Mia…" Ryo-Oki murmured, standing up. Iam's eyes widened as she saw that Ryo-Oki's pure white dress had been released by a white outfit that was the same design as Gabriella's. Her hair was still blond, but her top had turned into a crop top instead of her normal ensemble. In her hand was a Level One axe and her wrist was devoid of a bracelet.

Shugo's character had remained the same, however, his wrist also had been stripped of his bracelet. "Onii-chan…" Rena murmured, helping her brother to his feet. "I'm so sorry…"

"No problem Rena," Shugo smiled, wiping off his brow. "And look at Mr. Hotshot over there."

The groups turned their heads and had to contain their gasps at what the saw.

Once again, Kite's character had changed. Instead of his usual red outfit, he now was sporting white with golden trim where his bright yellow had been before. His boots were now golden colored, as was the design on his hat. Kite could hardly believe the change himself, and his eyes were wide as he looked over his white and gold sleeves. On his right wrist, instead of the usual invisible bracelet, there was now a large blocky bracelet that was made up of a pure pearl white substance with golden designs covering it.

"Aura's true warrior," Kalen murmured. "Kite's become the ultimate bracelet holder. And now…" he turned to the Prism Knights and Dekai. "You ten are all that's left."

"We'll fight with Kite!" Iam insisted. "Maybe we don't have to combine our rings and have a bracelet wielder!"

"But I want to be the wielder!" Dekai interjected. "This is my job, Iam! Why are you butting in?"

"You're the one who's butting in!" Iam retorted. "This is our turf! Get out of my face and find your own thing!"

"This isn't the time for sibling rivalry!" Wiseman said sharply, and Iam glared darkly at him. He returned her glare, and neither broke eye contact. "Either Dekai wields the bracelet or we have little to no chance against the Prism Players. You'll all to reduced to a comatose state, or worse!"

There was silence. Dekai was still glaring at Iam, and Iam and Wiseman were still staring each other down. All three were headstrong in their decision and side. Neither would budge an inch. There was a horrible silence that seemed louder then any form of noise that could have filled the small clearing.

"I'll do it."

Iam's eyes widened and she spun around to see Sersen stepping forward and holding out his black handguard, looking at it forlornly. "I-I…I'll give it up."

"Sersen…" Iam murmured to her werewolf companion. "No, don't. Th-this isn't the only option."

"We don't know that Iam," Sersen said simply. "From what I've heard…everyone's in danger if we don't do this." He looked up at her and sighed, shaking his head. "I don't want to give it up anymore then you do. But…I couldn't go on calling myself a 'hero' if I _didn't _do this." Sersen gave a weak smile and shrugged. "If I can't sacrifice something I want for something others need, then what kind of hero am I?"

"Sersen…" Iam mumbled, looking hurt and anxious.

"I will too," Tiyra said, stepping forward next to Sersen and grabbing his hand. Sersen, strangely enough, wasn't surprised. "If Sersen is going to do this, so will I."

"Tiyra, not you too?" asked Iam, her eyes widening.

"They're right Iam…" Barai said, also stepping forward with Vizota. "If we can give up our powers for the people of 'The World', then we wouldn't be heroes anymore anyway. It's a no win situation."

"Barai's right," Vizota nodded. "Iam…this isn't a time to be proud or to think of ourselves."

"Guys!" Iam turned to the remaining five. "You aren't going to do this, are you?" The remaining Prism Knights were silent. "You've had the rings longer then these guys have, you know what they mean to us!"

"**Sucks to be us. But that's the way it goes."**

Achean stepped forward and Iam raised her eyebrows. "Wh-what? What did you say?" He shook his head and looked at her with dark eyes. It was obvious he was not about to repeat himself.

"Damn it!" Gabriella bit her lip. "I didn't think it would be like this…" she shook her head and also stepped forward, much to Iam's surprise. "Sorry Iam…but I've got to do this. There are so many reasons to keep it," she said, looking at her handguard and violet ring, "but so many more to give it up."

"Zaiten, Chikoro, Orizo!" Iam turned to the last remaining ones in the line. "C'mon! Help me talk some sense into these guys!"

There was a pause. Chikoro looked at her feet, and Orizo stared at his guard. Zaiten, however, was looking at Iam with sad eyes. Finally, the samurai spoke up. "F-forgive me…Iam-san."

Zaiten stepped forward, and Iam looked at him with a betrayed expression on his face. "I must do this," he told her. "For my own honor if nothing else."

"Guys!" Iam ran over to Chikoro and Orizo and grasped their ring hands. "W-we were the original party! The original hackers! You can't want to give our powers up!"

Chikoro and Orizo looked at her with saddened expressions, and, finally, Chikoro shook her head and took a step forward. "Iam…I'm scared." Iam looked over at her and raised her eyebrows. "If I don't do this now…people…people are going to get hurt…or die. Not only other people. But _us!" _She turned around and closed her eyes. "Call me a coward if you want! But I don't want to die! I don't want my friends to die, so I have to give up my powers!"

"Chikoro…" Iam looked at her, but Chikoro averted her eyes from Iam's face and stared at the floor, her face red and her eyes watery. Iam turned to Orizo slowly and grabbed his hand again. "Orizo…I…we've…we've been through so much!" she said, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. Orizo was avoiding her glance, refusing to look at her. "We were the first to meet Moyotu! We were the first hackers! You were," she took a sharp intact of breath as she choked back tears, "my first friend! You were my first friend that I ever had! My first ever true friend! And it's all because of _these!" _She held up her handguard and motioned to it furiously. "These!"

Orizo paused, looked up, and shook his head. "That's why I have to do this."

Iam gave a shocked expression as Orizo stepped past her to join the forming line. It was over. It was everyone against her. She was the only one holding on.

"How can you do this?" She spun around savagely, her face red and tears freely running down her face. "HOW THE HELL CAN YOU DO THIS?" She walked to the front of them and stared at them all, naming names and calling fouls against her position. "You don't want to be a 'false hero'," she sneered at Sersen, Tiyra, Vizota, and Barai. "And you don't even want to face such a subject!" she shouted at Achean. "Gabriella, you're giving in too soon! You're just going with everyone else!"

"Hey!" Gabriella spoke up, but Iam was quick to move on to her next victim.

"Zaiten! What the hell is with this 'honor' thing?" she snapped. "All you care about is image! You're so shallow!"

"Iam stop!" Chikoro said, stepping forward as if to shield Zaiten from the blows that Iam was laying on him.

"And you!" she rounded on Chikoro. "You're just scared out of your mind! You're always like this! Never taking any risks! Just a pampered little princess hoping "Orizo-sama" will take care of you!" she shrieked. "It makes me sick! Grow a backbone!"

"Iam…" Orizo began. "Just stop…"

"And you!" she rounded on Orizo. "I thought you, of all people, would understand how I felt! But it turns out that you never really cared about our relationship at all!" she barked, tears once again rolling down her face. "I BET YOU NEVER EVEN CARED ABOUT ME!"

"TAKE THAT BACK!"

Iam stepped back as Orizo threw his fist at her face, only to have Iam dodge at the last second. Zaiten stepped forward and restrained Orizo as he tried to throw another punch. "You'd better take that back!" he screamed. "HOW DARE YOU! You're the one who doesn't care!"

"What the hell do you think I've been fighting for?" Iam asked savagely. "I'm not like all of you guys, just ready to give up our bond!"

"We never said we were giving up _that!_" Sersen snapped, and Iam turned to him. "We're giving up our rings, not our friendship."

"We'll always be friends," Vizota assured Iam. "Even if we don't have the rings."

"That's not true!" Iam said desperately. "Sure, we might try to see each other a few times, but soon, we'll all get busy! We won't see each other as much if we don't a reason!" She was crying uncontrollably, but trying to keep her composure unsuccessfully. "Soon we'll just drift apart! These rings keep us together!"

"That's what I mean!" Orizo screamed and Iam turned to him. "Obviously our relationship doesn't mean much if we need some stupid rings to keep us together!"

Iam froze to her spot, shocked speechless.

"I-I…" she murmured, but nothing came out.

"Iam! I want to be the bracelet holder!" Dekai snapped, and Iam turned to her little brother. "Why can't you accept that I'm the hero and you're not? Are you that jealous?"

"Just shut up!" she snapped. "You don't even know what you're getting in to!"

"What I do know is this:" Dekai began, "I'm finally in the spotlight at something that you started! You can stand it that I'm better then you!"

"Dekai, hold down," Wiseman said sternly and stepped forward. "Iam…even if you don't comply, the other nine can perform the Data transfer. Dekai is the wielder," he explained. "I understand how you feel, but this isn't the time for petty feelings. I implore you to help us."

"Do it without me," she said, standing still. "I won't stop you."

"Iam…" Chikoro murmured. "Are you…"

"I'm not giving my consent," she growled, looking at Dekai. "Especially to this worm of a human being." Dekai frowned, a little hurt by the comment. "I hope…" she gritted her teeth and spit out her next words with the most spite she could muster. "I hope you never come back!"

"Fine!" Dekai remarked, stepping in front of the other nine. "Who cares about you? I know I don't! Heroes don't have to worry about regular people who are just wannabes."

Iam was about to reply, but she was too humiliated to continue. The nine circled around Dekai and held out their wrists, just as Ryo-Oki and Shugo had done before. They grabbed Dekai's outstretched wrist and looked at Iam. She slowly put her hand on his wrist and squeezed with a little bit too much force. Dekai and she exchanged one last look and Wiseman nodded to the group. "You know what to do. Dekai, are you ready?"

"Damn straight," he said, not leaving Iam's glare.

"Watch your mouth," she muttered.

The group took a deep breath, and the nine of them all screamed out the telling words: "DATA TRANSFER!"

The rings turned into glowing colored lights and soared into the sky, circling one another and creating a giant pillar of energy. The group looked up in awe as the energy shot down in a sharp stream and hit Dekai's bracelet. All ten Prism Hackers were thrown against the walls and towards the stairs, much like Ryo and Shugo before them.

When the colored beams and light faded, the group looked up and Iam's eyes immediately went to her right pointer finger.

Her right pointer finger…

"It's gone…" she murmured, frowning and clenching her now completely bare hand. She looked around as her comrades rose, also looking at the fingers where their rings once were. It was if they were in a daze, and couldn't exactly believe what had just transpired.

"Woah! This is awesome!"

Everyone looked up to see the speaker, Dekai, reveling at his new form. His once teal headband was now black, as was his teal shirt. There were sharp silver designs on the shirt that replaced the soft white once there. His pants were silver with black designs, and his boots were now a shiny black with silver soles. His belts had changed silver as well, with silver buckles. His hair had remained orange, and on his wrist was a thick black bracelet inscribed with silver runes.

"The Prism Bracelet wielder," Wiseman announced as Dekai turned to face him, "Dekai."

Iam frowned at the smug expression on her brother's character's face. She thought back to the scarf she had torn in half. A cruel glare came over her face. "I should have shredded it."

* * *

Oh man! What's going to happen now? Our ring-holders are ring-less! I hope you'll all give me a review! I really appreciate each and every review:D

P.S. Dear Sailorstar, don't worry! I'm not stripping you of your powers! Everything shall come back to order:D Forgive my use of cameo molding, but I just thought you'd appreciate your character being a bigger part of the story!

Review please!

Until then,

Ciao for now!


	18. What I Need

Hey there guys! I'm glad to see you're all on the edges of your seats to find out what happens next! I'd also like to thank all of my reviewers!

Speaking of reviewers…

Well guys, I have exciting news. You people are record holders!

That's right! As of right now, "Log On!" is the most reviewed .hack story on Fanfiction . net! (fireworks go off and all that jazz)

So thanks to all my reviewers! You guys are great! Please, keep on enjoying the story!

* * *

Chapter 18: What I Need

* * *

"Mai? Honey? It's almost seven. Shouldn't you be getting up?"

Mai's mother poked her head into Mai's dark bedroom, where Mai's form was still huddled under the thick blankets. Ever since last night, she had been lying in bed, unable to sleep and unable to talk.

"_I'll inform you later of the details of the battle," Wiseman had said to Dekai and Kite. "I need to locate the surge of energy that is Cubia. Then, we'll be able to make the first move against it."_

"_Right!" Dekai nodded, grinning. Iam and the others had held back, looking at the ground, not wanting to make eye contact. "Will we go alone?"_

"_No," Wiseman shook his head. "You'll have a party with you to help defeat Cubia and X-Cubia's minions. They'll be after you, of course."_

"_Sounds awesome!" Dekai smiled again and nodded. "Tomorrow huh? I'll get home really fast from school!"_

_Iam couldn't say anything. She felt so useless and so out of the loop. She wasn't used to not being clued in on the great threats to "The World" and now she felt like such an outsider. Such a meddler. She felt like she didn't even belong there. Her status had been stripped from her out of necessity._

_And it made her sick._

"I feel sick," Mai said slowly to her mother. "I'm not going to school today."

"Really honey? Can I take your temperature?" Mai's mother asked, sitting on her bed and feeling her daughter's forehead. "You don't feel warm…"

"It's my stomach," Mai said. "I might have a stomach bug."

"All right," Mai's mother nodded. "If you're feeling under the weather, I'll call the school and tell them you won't be coming. You don't have a test today, do you?"

"No. No test."

"Oh!" Mai's mother stopped herself and rubbed her head. "Your father and I are going to the movies tonight, remember? Will you be all right baby-sitting?"

"Yeah," Mai said slowly, remembering her parents had a movie date with friends of theirs.

"You sure? We can stay home."

"I'm fine."

"All right," her mother nodded and stood up from the bed. "I'll call the school in a bit. You get some rest. I have to wake up Shizuma."

Mai grimaced at the mention of her little brother's name. Her mother shut the door, enveloping her in darkness once again. She laid back down on the bed and hugged her knees, silently sobbing to herself.

She was so upset, so angry, and so jealous that she didn't know what to do with herself. After such a fight to keep Shizuma away from the game, he had run in and stolen her identity. The whole reason she played "The World" had been taken from her, and she felt extremely empty.

"Hiromi…" she murmured, dissolving into sobs once again.

* * *

"Hiromi-sama…"

Hiromi looked up from his desk to see Ayumi looking at him, her eyes downcast. She motioned her head to Mai's desk next to her, which was empty. "Mai's not here today. Do you think she's still upset?"

"Yeah," Hiromi nodded, sitting down and taking out his math book. "I'd say so."

"So you two have also noticed Mai-san's absence." Hiromi and Ayumi looked up to see Souchirou standing over them, cleaning his glasses. A sad expression was on his face, something rarely seen. "I still remember her anger of last evening."

"Damn straight," Ryoko murmured, walking up to them with Sean behind her. She sat on Hiromi's desk and shook her head. "She was raving."

"Don't blame her," Sean murmured, sitting in the empty desk in front of Hiromi. "I was…kind of pissed too. But what can you do?"

"I guess we're back to being normal," Ayumi sighed, sitting in her desk and looking out the window. "Normal players…with normal abilities."

"Do you think we'll ever see Tiyra or Sersen again?" Ryoko asked. "I mean…we never learned their names. What if they don't want to hang out with us again after all this?"

"Don't say that," Hiromi shook his head. "We're all friends, no matter what."

"After your outburst last night, I'd say that you and Mai are more then 'friends'," Ryoko smirked, trying to lighten the mood. "You were going nuts lover boy!"

"Well, Mai obviously doesn't like me that way," Hiromi said, and the others drew back, slightly surprised. "If she did, she wouldn't have gotten so worried about our relationship deteriorating just by us losing the rings."

"You don't get it!"

Hiromi looked up to see Ayumi turning red and looking at him with an angry expression. He looked at her, puzzled, and she continued. "You don't get it, Hiromi-sama! Mai's afraid! She's afraid that she'll lose us if we lose our common connection! She can't see…" Ayumi frowned, tears threatening to come out of her eyes. "She can't see everything that we share even without the rings on our fingers!"

There was a silence between the group. But it wasn't an awkward silence, or a silence of guilt. It was a small silence of agreement.

"Yeah…"

* * *

Mai put on her headset slowly, as if coming out of a strange dream. She logged in to her character and looked around the boards. No new messages of coma victims.

"Even if there were…I wouldn't be able to do anything…" she murmured, shaking her head. She quickly clicked "Log In" and decided that now was the time to begin her new life.

* * *

"Why are we even here?" Gabriella asked. It was that evening, and Orizo had sent them all e-mail messages, telling them to meet online that night. So, all nine former Prism Knights had met at the Theta server, Iam being the only exception. "I really don't feel like logging on right now. I feel naked without the ring."

"I just wanted to see the battle," Orizo said, standing up. The others gave him an odd expression, and he explained himself. "We might be still able to help fight, even if we don't have our rings anymore."

"Yeah right," Barai scoffed, leaning against one of the pillars. "We're like a wolf with three legs."

"Orizo's got a point…" Achean said.

"Yeah," Vizota nodded to her partner. "We could at least ask Wiseman or Kalen if we can help out."

"What about Iam?" Tiyra brought up, and the crowd was silenced. They all looked at each other uncomfortably, and then Orizo broke the awkward pause.

"She'll help if she wants," he said simply. "Now c'mon, let's go see if Wiseman is on."

"I have his address!" Chikoro said, raising her hand. "I got it before we left. I'll just send him a message--" She stopped and paused. "Guys…it says that Iam's on."

"Where do you think she is?"

"I'll use my 'search' command," Barai said, pausing and using his Bowman wide search ability. He stopped and then nodded. "We're lucky. She's here. Near the Grunty stables. Let's go!"

"Right!" Chikoro nodded, following Barai. The others shrugged and followed the two through the high roads of Dun Loireag, avoiding other players and stray grunties. Without as much as an "excuse us" the nine sprinted through the town until they finally arrived at the desolate Grunty stables where their red clad party member was sitting cross-legged, petting a dark red Grunty.

"Iam…" Sersen spoke up first, and she looked up, her eyes hollow.

"Oh…hey guys," she murmured, looking back down. "I was just visiting Crimson D. He gets hungry a lot."

"Iam…" Orizo stepped forward. "We're going to ask Wiseman if we can help fight. D-do you…"

"Would you wish to accompany us on our intrepid battle?" Zaiten asked, finishing Orizo's sentence. Iam paused, and then stood up slowly.

"Fine," she shrugged. "Whatever. Shizuma's next to me anyway. I can feel him. He's probably already there."

"I just sent a message to Wiseman," Chikoro said softly, interrupting the awkward conversation. "He's at Mac Anu. Kalen plans to temporarily cut the server again until Dekai and Kite can pass through."

"Then we'd better be there, or we'll get cut too," Vizota said, nodding to her friends. "C'mon. Let's head out. There might be a way to help yet."

* * *

"I still can't believe it! Why didn't you tell me before, Wiseman?"

"Can we drop the subject? I don't much like to discuss real life in the game. And especially since we're in the situation we're in."

"Fine, fine!" Dekai grinned, jumping up the stairs to meet Wiseman and Kalen. The three had been conversing for a while. More of Wiseman and Dekai conversing while Kalen worked feverishly at his keyboard. "I've been practicing all day! Check this out!" he struck a pose with his fist pointed out and tried to look as composed as possible. "Prism Data Drain!" He grinned, lowering his arm. "I've been practicing all day! This is sweet! It makes the monsters so much easier to defeat! And I've actually gotten used to it!"

"I know," Wiseman sighed. "I was there…remember?"

"Yeah!" Dekai nodded. "But it was so cool! All the lights and the flashing! Watcha!" He threw a punch and then a kick. "I'm an unstoppable hero now! It feels so cool!"

"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't even be playing," Wiseman smirked slightly and raised his eyebrow.

"Yeah, I definitely owe you one!" Dekai grinned. "When I become a super cool hero, I'll pay--" Dekai stopped midsentence and seemed to break out of his victory trance. He was suddenly silent, and he looked at his feet.

"What's wrong?"

There was a pause. Dekai shuffled his feet, and he shook his head. "Nothing…"

Wiseman remained silent, not betraying any sort of emotion from Dekai's odd reaction. He turned to their black hacker companion. "Kalen, are preparations almost complete?"

"You bet!" Kalen grinned, pressing another button on his keyboard and looking up at the blue screen that came up in his face. "Another five minutes, and the server will be completely offline."

"Hmm?" Wiseman paused, and then smiled. "I've just received a message from Chikoro. It seems that…those ten want to help."

"No kidding?" Kalen asked, raising his eyebrows. Dekai looked up, hopeful. "After all that crap they had to go through?"

"They're wasting their time," Wiseman said sternly. "I should have told them before, but--"

"Wasting who's time?"

Dekai, Kalen, and Wiseman all looked over to see none other then Shugo, Ryo-Oki, and Kite standing in front of them, their groups behind them. Wiseman raised his eyebrows, surprised at the large party that had just appeared in front of him. "Kite…you invited everyone else? The invitation was only for you."

"Sorry about that Wiseman," Kite said, nodding his head and looking again at his white and gold bracelet. "I thought they should come."

"Are you all here to help?" Wiseman asked, raising an eyebrow at the other party members. They all nodded, and he sighed. "An overflux of energy will only confuse the Cubias destinations. I've limited the support to two people per bracelet wielder."

"That's crap!" Ryu brought up, scuffing the dirt with his shoe. "Are you saying we can't go?"

"Well, only two of you are barred from the battlefield," Wiseman said, turning to Ryo-Oki and Shugo. "And those two are you, Shugo, Ryo-Oki."

"But why?" Ryo-Oki asked, an anxious look on her face. "I can't just stand by while this is going on… At least let me fight!"

"I agree with Ryo!" Shugo said sternly, taking a step forward. "We should be able to fight with Kite! Why can't we?"

"Because you might still have fragments of Aura's power within you," Wiseman explained, and the two looked at one another. "Even the slightest smidgen of Aura's power could offset the balance and destroy the entire plan. Even though it is most likely that nothing will occur," Wiseman said, "I cannot take the chance. You two will have to stay here. I apologize."

Ryo-Oki and Shugo sighed and shook their heads at one another. "All right. I guess that's just how it is," Shugo shrugged. "But if that's true for us, what about those ten?"

"The same is true for them," Wiseman said. "None of them will be allowed onto the field of battle."

"I guess we're wasting our time then."

Kalen and Wiseman turned to see none other then the ten former Prism Knights standing behind them. It was Iam who had spoken. She walked forward, the same dark expression still on her face. Dekai stepped forward. "Iam…are you feeling okay?"

"I'll just log out," Iam said, completely ignoring Dekai. "See you later guys."

"Wait," Wiseman commanded her, and she paused. "First, we should pick our parties for the battle. I've located Cubia's presence, and a way to fight it. An area has been pinpointed."

"Parties?" Tiyra asked. "But we can't come, right? So we need four other people."

"I shall accompany Dekai," Wiseman said, stepping over to the Prism Wielder. "For my own reasons. Anyone else who wishes to contribute their help is more then welcome."

There was a pause as the group looked at one another, frowning and nodding. Finally, Ouka stepped forward and nodded to Wiseman. "I'll go with you and the kid," she said. "I'm the strongest of my group, and it only makes sense, right?"

"Then we'll need two members to accompany Kite," Wiseman said. "Any takers?"

Ryu sighed and stepped forward. "What the hell? If it'll help get that bracelet back, I'm in."

"Ryu…" Ryo-Oki looked at the silver-haired mercenary and smiled at him. "Thanks a lot!"

"Save your thanks for after I win," he huffed, standing over by the white-clad warrior. "I don't need it now."

"I'll be the last member!" BlackRose said, stepping forward defiantly. Wiseman looked at her, as did Balmung. "I have to! Right?" she looked at Kite, and he smiled and nodded to Wiseman.

"BlackRose can come with me and Ryu," he said, smiling.

"Then we have our parties," Wiseman announced, stepping forward. "Dekai will lead Ouka and myself while Kite will lead Ryu and BlackRose. Are we all prepared for the battle?"

"I've got lots of drinks!" BlackRose assured Kite. "And you've got Ol Repth right? Since we're 40B?"

"Yeah," Kite nodded. "My armor's got that spell. What about you Ryu?"

"Can we stop asking these pointless questions and get right to the fight?" Ryu asked, rolling his eyes. "I'm fine! Let's just get to the ass-kicking, shall we?"

"I have a large arsenal of spells at my disposal," Wiseman assured them. "And also many healing spells. There is nothing to worry about on our side."

"Then I'll look after the kid!" Ouka said, baring her claws. "I'm strong enough to look after the newbie."

"Hey!"

"Heh! No offense, no offense!"

"Are you sure there's nothing we can do?" Vizota asked, raising her eyebrows.

All of a sudden, Kalen clicked the "enter" button on his keyboard and, as it had happened the day before, every other player besides the ones gathered in the niche of Mac Anu had disappeared. Kalen gave a satisfied grin and nodded to Wiseman. "We've got around forty five minutes until they patch up the server."

"Good," Wiseman nodded, then turned back to the Prism Hackers. "If you wish," Wiseman said, "you may wait for us to return with news of the battle."

Iam sighed and sat down, looking at her right hand with a dazed expression. "I'm just going to log out. I've got homework to catch up on and stuff…"

"Wait!"

Iam looked up to see Rena, Shugo's sister, walking towards her. Behind her was Ryo-Oki as well. "Don't leave yet," Rena pleaded. "I want to talk to you for a second."

"We have no time for conversation," Wiseman interrupted. "We have to get to the battlefield before the surges of energy move on."

"What's the area?" Ouka asked.

"**Delta, Hidden, Crossed Over, White Sun," **Wiseman said. "We're lucky…the administrators haven't blocked it yet."

"Good," Kalen nodded. "The last thing we need is those meat heads getting in our way."

"Are the parties prepared?" Wiseman asked, turning around. Next to him were Dekai and Ouka, and Kite had BlackRose and Ryu by his side. The others looked on anxiously as the six members neared the Chaos Gate. "Once we step inside, there's no turning back. We either arise triumphant or fall hard."

"Enough of the speeches!" Ryu commanded, shouldering his large blade. "Let's kick some Virus Protection ass!"

"I agree," BlackRose nodded. "Let's go!"

"**Delta, Hidden, Crossed Over, White Sun!" **Kite yelled, and one by one, the parties jumped into the Chaos Gate. Dekai went last, and as he put his foot through the blue portal, he turned back to look at his sister and frowned.

"Sorry Sis…"

With that, Dekai fell forward into the portal, and he, along with the other five, were gone from Mac Anu. The others watched after them, and a deafening silence filled the place around them, making them all the more anxious as to the whereabouts of their party members.

"Iam," Rena began. "Want to go for a walk or something?"

Iam looked up at the two girls, Rena and Ryo-Oki, in front of her and sighed. She stood up and shrugged. "Whatever."

"Good," Rena smiled, grabbing Iam's arm. The three walked off towards the bridge, leaving the others to themselves, all quite curious as to what the three would be talking about.

"So…Iam…" Rena began as the three reached the bridge and sat down next to one another. "Your little brother is the Prism Bracelet wielder?"

"Thanks for reminding me," Iam snapped sarcastically.

"It must be tough," Ryo murmured, looking at her own wrist.

"You must be feeling it too Ryo-chan," Iam said sympathetically, turning to the blonde haired girl. "Your powers are gone too, aren't they?"

"You're right," Ryo-Oki nodded, looking slightly forlorn. She scuffed her shoe on the cobblestone street, looking around the still empty server. "It is tough. After all, that bracelet has brought me a lot of happy memories and wonderful friends," she said.

"And it also must be tough to have your sibling stealing it from you, right Iam?" Rena asked. Iam turned to Rena and frowned.

"You don't think much of me, do you?" Iam sighed. "You think I'm just jealous of my kid brother…"

"That's not what I'm saying!" Rena said hurriedly, shaking her pink haired head back and forth. "I understand what it's like to get angry at your brother. I don't know what the relationship between you and Dekai is," Rena began, pressing her hand to her chest, "but I know that Onii-chan and I…have always been very close."

There was a pause, and Rena continued, "And that's why I was proud of him when he received the bracelet!"

"Proud?" Iam asked, confused.

"Mmm'hmm," Rena nodded, smiling. "Onii-chan was always giving up on his dreams and worrying about what everyone else thought before he came here."

"That's the kind of power "The World" has on people," Iam smiled slightly, sitting on the rail of the bridge. "It sure changed me."

"But when he got the bracelet," Rena continued, "he wanted to become a hero so badly! And he did!" She smiled at Iam. "He helped save people and protect me. I didn't have time to be jealous," Rena shook her head, "I was too proud."

Iam paused, and then shook her head back and forth. "I'm not…jealous. I'm angry that he stole it from me. It was mine…before it was his."

"It wasn't yours!" Ryo-Oki intervened. "It was all of yours!" Iam's eyes widened and Ryo-Oki continued to speak. "All ten of you had that power before it was gone! And now you're afraid that your bond will be gone along with the rings!"

"And what if it does?" Iam asked anxiously. "Sure, we'll try to keep in touch and hang out, but after awhile, we'll find other stuff to do, and other people to see!" She gasped for air, "And I'll be alone! I won't have these friends anymore!"

"I told you before!" Ryo-oki interrupted Iam in a loud and worried voice. "My bracelet brought me so many friends and memories! But just because the bracelet goes…" she paused and smiled widely, "doesn't mean the memories go too!"

Iam drew back, slightly surprised by Ryo-Oki's passionate words. She looked at her empty hand, drew it close to her chest, and remained silent. None of the girls spoke for what seemed to be the longest time, even if there was so much left to be said.

* * *

"Woah!"

_Woah…woah…woah…_

Dekai gasped as the party landed in the area they had traveled to. Instead of a normal area that consisted of the trademark golden portals, traversing monsters, and Grunty food, this area was obviously nothing that could have been programmed into the game by the creators.

It was a huge expanse of melting black and purple sludge that seemed to drip along the huge walls of the giant room. Two paths led up to one summit at the middle. The parties had been separated on the two paths, and were very far away. "Looks like we'll have to fight our way to the center…" Wiseman murmured.

"This place is huge!" Dekai gasped, looking around. "But where are the monsters?"

"Oh, they'll come," Wiseman nodded. "Just wait…"

There was a pause, and, as if to answer Wiseman's call, a huge rumbling began beneath their feet. The others all started to lose their balance, and Ouka had to catch Dekai as he almost fell. BlackRose, Kite, and Ryu glanced over at Wiseman's party and gave a nod. They all knew what was coming.

"Holy…" Ouka began as the source of the rumbling revealed itself. Dekai, wide-eyed and fearful, gasped as the huge being rose from the blue-back abyss.

It was a gigantic monster with several violet tentacles that looked like tree branches growing from its white skeletal face. Dark and piercing eyes, two sets, and a sinister looking mouth, filled with sharp teeth, the beast gave a loud roar as its dark, massive body rose into the air.

"I-is that Cubia?" Ouka asked Wiseman. He nodded solemnly.

"Yes, that is Cubia," he said darkly. "But the threat is not over yet…"

Both Dekai and Ouka looked at Wiseman anxiously, but their gazes were redirected by another huge rumbling from beneath their feet. Dekai and the others looked up, and this time, even Kite and BlackRose were shocked as to what rose from the surface of the murky depths.

The immense creature was similar to Cubia. It had a skeletal face and a murky black blue body as well. The branches sprouting from its horrid structure were also viewable. But there were a few distinct differences.

X-Cubia seemed to be Cubia, only broken. One of its eyes was out of line with the other, and was larger. Its mouth was constructed oddly, as if it were about to fall off its face. Teeth were missing, and the jaw looked broken. In contrast with Cubia's white face, X-Cubia's face was splotched with blackened, almost burned, patches. The branches that looked almost like hair on the massive creation were limp and looked dead, hanging uselessly at the sides of the colossus's face.

"What the heck is that?" Dekai murmured, looking at the beast. "It's all screwed up."

"Much like Prisma, I assume," Wiseman announced, and then turned to the other party that was situated in front of the real Cubia. "Kite! You know what to do! Meet us at the middle! Once we get there, the two cores will destroy one another!"

"Right!" Kite nodded. "Let's go!" With that, the three of Kite's party ran out, their weapons drawn. Wiseman turned to his party.

"We have to go too," he told Dekai. "Things called "Gomuras" and a single "X-Cubia Core" will attack us as we head down the path. Ouka," he turned to her and she nodded. "I'm counting on you to take out the Repth Gomuras when the core is physically resistant. Dekai, you help Ouka anyway you can, but don't get in the way."

"I won't!" Dekai assured him. "I've brought plenty of drinks. I'll do my best to help out."

"When the Core is magically resistant, I'll attack the Gomuras," he said. "Dekai, you help Ouka with the X-Cubia Core. The faster we defeat that core, the faster we can get directly to the center platform. Once we're there, we win."

"Got it!" Ouka bared her fist. "Let's go!"

The three nodded to one another, took a deep breath, and leapt forward towards the battlefield. Every step was one step closer to the center platform where the two huge beasts awaited them.

* * *

"What if I don't want them to be just memories?" Iam asked Ryo-Oki. She sighed, and shook her head at the blonde Heavy Axeman. "What if I want things to go back to way they were?"

"Change is tough," Ryo-Oki nodded. "I should know… But sometimes, change can be good, you know?"

"Ryo-Oki's right," Rena nodded. "You never know what might come out of this."

"What good could possibly come of it?" Iam asked, shaking her head. "All I can think of is bad stuff."

"It might be tough," Rena nodded. "I'm not going to pretend it won't be. But…you can't condemn the future, can you?"

Iam looked up at Rena, chewing the girl's words over again. _You can't condemn the future. _"I guess you're right," Iam shrugged. "I never know what could be coming."

"About your brother…" Ryo spoke up, and Iam sighed, stepping down on the bridge.

"I'm still mad at him," she snapped. "I'm not 'proud' like Rena. Shizu—I mean…Dekai never had "self-esteem" issues. He didn't need the bracelet…" There was a deafening pause. "I did."

"What do you mean?"

"I needed that bracelet to make friends," Iam said honestly. "Before, I always thought…I guess…I always thought that I was too good for everyone."

_She had already done this lesson, along with five others after it in the textbook. She found school to be extremely easy and sometimes found herself slipping ahead of the class_.

"Too good?" Ryo-Oki asked.

_Often times she had gotten penalized for it. Mai thought this was ridiculous, "What's wrong with getting ahead in life?" she had argued more times than she could count._

"Yeah," Iam nodded. "Like, everyone around me was so inferior."

_Of course everyone had a copy of the game and everyone played together with their Waveyhoos and Bladewhatzits. Mai thought it all very silly, who needed video games when there was always a good book to read or a good story to write._

"But then I came on here…and for the first time in my life," she looked up and smiled, "I was called a 'newbie'."

"_Hey newbie, you're holding up traffic! Move aside!"_

"_Hey!" Iam turned around clumsily to defend herself, "How dare you! I got just as much right to stand here as anyone else!"_

"_Move aside newbie!" he yelled._

"_Who are you anyway," Iam spat, "To tell me to move?"_

"_I'm Orizo," he told her, "Who might you be? I can tell you're a newbie just by your weapon..."_

"_Urgg..." she grumbled, "I'm Iam..."_

"_Iam?" he laughed, "Like I AM? What a lame name!"_

"_It's pronounce E-am not I am you blockhead!" Iam yelled to the laughing man taunting her, "And Orizo isn't exactly the most wonderful name either!"_

"_Better than I AM!" he screeched._

"_GET OFF MY CASE KNUCKLE HEAD!"_

"_MAKE ME!"_

"I lost my temper," Iam laughed. "I can't remember the last time I did that. I was the kind of person who just stood in the background and commented on everyone else's stupidity.

"I thought myself superior, in a way. I didn't want to fit in with anyone, since I thought I was so much above them. But then I was thrown into a world where I was the lowest of the low, and he was my only companion. I had no time to be standoffish or elite," she shrugged. "The game doesn't allow it.

"Then the rings came along. And I had to become even more involved. But, by then, I welcomed it. I wanted to meet people, to see people, and to find people. My fifteen years of wasted time was over. And I owe it all to this game."

"Wow…" Ryo-Oki murmured.

"Soon, I started to open up," Iam said.

_Mai looked at them, then back at her book, then back at them, then back at her book. She smiled slightly, put her bookmark in and stood up. She walked quietly over to the desk of students talking and cleared her throat. Silence partook the room and everyone turned to her, "I just started playing yesterday," she smiled._

"And as I made more friends…"

"_Ayumi Kanzaki! Cheerleader and lover of Hiromi-sama!"_

"_How dare you insinuate that I, Souchirou Hibiki, would follow someone as lowly as you!"_

"_Please welcome Ryoko Watanabe-san."_

"_Everyone, I'd like you to meet Sean McGuire."_

"I started to understand exactly what this game had done for me…"

"_My name's Tiyra, what's yours?"_

"_I'm a Career Werewolf, my name's Sersen."_

"_SOTA! WILL YOU STOP FOOLING AROUND!"_

"_Jeez Fuko, give me a break…"_

"But it wasn't until I lost it all," Iam said, staring at her wrist, "when I truly realized how much I'd changed. How much I relied on that ring for change."

There was another pause. Suddenly, Iam finished her thought. "I need it."

* * *

"PHA GAN DON!" Wiseman shouted, raising his staff and letting the huge masses of earth fall of the X-Cubia core. The parties had been fighting for what seemed like hours against the wrath of the two Cubias. Dekai and Ouka were busily hacking away at the Gomuras surrounding the attacking Wiseman. "It's almost down! How are you doing?"

"The kid isn't bad for a newbie!" Ouka called, clawing at another Gomura. "He hasn't died once! Funky, isn't it?"

"Maybe it's more then luck or skill," Wiseman thought out loud. "Perhaps the bracelet is protecting him."

"Staccato!" Dekai called, performing the move on the Gomura, destroying it. "How's it going, Wiseman?"

"PHA VAK DON!" he shouted, engulfing the Core in flames, depleting the last of its HP. "It's down! Move!"

The group sprinted off as the Gomuras and the core started to dissolve around them. Dekai glanced over to see Kite, BlackRose, and Ryu a bit ahead of them, still hitting hard on their own cores and Gomuras.

"Are we almost to the platform, Wiseman?" Dekai asked.

"I'd be more worried about the problem at hand," Wiseman grimaced. The group stopped in their tracks as another Cubia Core appeared, along with spawning Gomuras. "You know what to do! Attack!"

Ouka and Dekai lunged forward towards the Cubia Core, now completely resistant to magic. The two began an all out offensive, while Wiseman's powerful magic defended them from the Gomuras and killed off those helping the Core. "We're almost there!" Dekai shouted as he gave another hack to the Core. "I can feel it!"

* * *

"I'm glad the game meant so much to you, Iam," Rena said. "But…but…"

"But what?" Iam asked.

"But what happens when it ends?" Ryo-Oki asked. Iam's eyes widened and she looked at the blonde girl. "I mean…one day…it'll end. You won't play anymore. Just the way "The World" works…"

"I-I never…thought about that…" Iam murmured, looking at her feet. "I guess I assumed we'd play forever."

"That's impossible," Rena said. "There are more things in life then this game."

"Like," Ryo-Oki began hesitantly, "what did you have _before_ the game?"

"Before?" Iam asked, raising her eyebrows. She looked at her hands, clenched tightly together. "Well…I'm not exactly sure."

"There must have been something," Rena said.

"I had…my parents."

"_Welcome home dear!" her mother called as she threw open the door to show Mai a giant chocolate birthday cake in the kitchen, covered with pink frosting! Mai didn't especially like the color pink, she liked violet, but a violet cake would look odd and Mai liked chocolate. "Woah! Thanks Mom!" Mai ran in and smiled at the large cake..._

"_Hey dear!" her father, blonde hair as messy as ever and blue eyes as shiny as ever walked into the room and gave his daughter a hug. "How was school?"_

"They sound like a lot of fun!" Ryo-Oki smiled. "My Dad's gone a lot for work, so I'd guess it's really cool to have your dad home."

"What else?" Rena asked.

"I had…my writing."

_That was Mai's passion, story-writing. She wrote every day and new stories were always popping into her head. Right now she was thinking about writing one about a girl who desperately tried to get away from the annoying students at her school by transferring to Germany where she met her true love..._

"You like to write?" Ryo-Oki asked. "That's really cool! What do you like to write?"

"Stories, mostly," Mai shrugged. "I was never into essays or poetry very much. Just stories. Funny, since I started the game, I haven't worked on my story notebook much."

"And…anything else?" Rena asked.

"Well…I can't really think of anything," Iam murmured. "I had no friends. School was boring, and I never even cared about my grades or after-school stuff. I can't really think--" Iam stopped and let out a huge gasp. Her eyes were wide.

"Iam?" Ryo-Oki looked at the girl with wide eyes. "Wh-what's wrong?"

Iam didn't answer. Her eyes were starting to water, her mouth still wide open. Her shoulders were shaking. "Iam, what's wrong?" Rena asked. But Iam didn't answer.

* * *

"This isn't looking good!" Ouka called as she struck at the Cubia Core, only to have a Kill Gomura hit her in the back with great force. "Eurg…I'm running low on HP!"

"I'm out of drinks!" Dekai called. "What about you, Wiseman?"

"I can't heal you! I'm using all my SP just to keep these things at bay!" Wiseman called, casting another spell. "Finish it off, quick!"

"Doing our best!" Ouka called, striking again. "But what do we do if we lose against these things?"

"That isn't an option!"

Wiseman and Ouka looked down towards Dekai, who had been the one to speak. He was viciously slicing away the HP of the X-Cubia Core, even if his low strength stat was only allowing him three or four points of damage per hit. Sweat was beading at the top of his forehead as he worked hard to bring the core down. "We can't lose!"

"Dekai…"

"I promised her!" he snapped to them. "That I'd become a hero and pay her back! I can't lose here!"

"But--" Ouka began.

"No buts!" the boy called, powering up his next attack. "I'm going to become a hero and pay her back!" he shouted. "I can't let her sacrifice go to waste!" He glared at the Core and powered up his daggers. "PRISM TWIN SWORD SLICE!"

He leapt into the air and brought his two daggers into the X-Cubia Core, killing it instantly with a huge explosion of energy. Wiseman and Ouka were both wide-eyed and had their mouths agape at the amazing display of power that Dekai had just displayed. He sighed, rose to his feet and began to run. "Let's go! There's not much time!"

* * *

"Iam? Why are you crying?"

"Iam!"

Iam's tears were now flowing silently down her face. She whimpered slightly, then broke into sobs. She threw her face into her hands and began to cry loudly. Ryo and Rena rushed to her side to comfort her. "I-I had him…"

"What?' Rena asked, not able to decipher what their friend had said.

"I had _him_ before the game…" Iam sputtered.

"_Open this one first!" Shizuma picked a crumply wrapped gift that was covered in tape and a bow stuck on quite awkwardly. "I bought it myself!"_

"I had my b-brother," she cried, tears falling down her face. "Who always l-loved me!"

"_Really?" Mai asked, quite touched at her brother's thought. She smiled and with a bit of difficulty opened the package. It was a scarf, a red one. She smiled and hugged her brother, making him blush, "Thank you."_

"And who _I _love back!" she cried loudly. "And…and I remember…"

"_SHIZUMA! Give me back my shoe, I'm going to be late!" _

"_No way!" Shizuma laughed as he ran through the halls of Mai's house, carrying her loafer shoe with him. Mai threw on her blazer and straightened her bow as she chased her annoying brother through the house. "Have to catch me first!"_

"_GOT YA!" Mai cheered as she jumped on the little boy, sending him sprawling onto the carpet. "My shoe."_

"I remember that he never meant any harm!" she cried. "He just wanted to play!"

"_Lucky nuttin'," Mai sighed, eating some old popcorn from the night before. "All my friends are on an awesome field trip right now."_

"_Sorry…" Shizuma said, looking apologetic. His face suddenly perked up. "Hey! I know!"_

"_Hmmm?"_

"_How 'bout I fake sick and play "The World" with you!" _

"And every time, I shot him down!" she snapped, her voice choking and cracking as she spoke.

"_Nice try little bro," Mai said, pushing him out the door. "Seriously, you've been trying to get on my game forever."_

"_No." With that, Mai grabbed the shoe and forced it on her foot._

"_Why not!" he asked in a whining tone._

"_Because you'll just mess up," she sighed, "You don't know how to play."_

"_I could learn!" He insisted to her, "C'mon Mai!"_

"_I'm going to be late to meet Ayumi and Hiromi," Mai sighed, grabbing her school bag and lunch, "See ya little bro! "The World" is a big kid's game!"_

"_It's MY computer and MY game," she retorted, narrowing her eyebrows. "And I'm saying you can't play!"_

"I got so angry!" Iam shook her fists, as if wanting to hit herself. "And I never realized the horrible things I said and I did!"

_As the last monster fell to the ground, Dekai jumped into the air. "Oh yeah! Owned!"_

"_Any newbie can take down those monsters," Iam had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes. "C'mon, we'll fight until you hit level 2, and then I'm going back to play with my friends."_

"_Shut up, will you?"_

"_Shut the hell up," she turned slowly around to face her younger brother. Dekai flinched and looked at her with a fearful expression. His smirk had disappeared from his face, and was replaced with a slightly gaping mouth. Iam licked her lips and finished her statement. "I hate the sight of you." _

"And then…" Iam looked up, a hollow and empty expression on her face. "And then I did something…unforgivable…"

_It was Shizuma's scarf that had been her birthday present. She took the scarf, held it in her hands, and ripped it clean in two, throwing it in the waste basket. Mai frowned, "He deserved it."_

"I can't--"

_She took the scarf, held it in her hands, and ripped it clean in two, throwing it in the waste basket._

"I just can't—"

…_Took the scarf, held it in her hands, and ripped it clean in two…_

"I just can't—"

…_Ripped it clean in two…_

"I just can't forgive myself!

…_Ripped…_

"_Open this one first!"_

…_Ripped…_

"_I bought it myself!"_

_RIPPED!_

"I JUST CAN'T FORGIVE MYSELF!" Iam shrieked, pulling at her hair and exploding into sobs. "OH GOD, I CAN'T FORGIVE MYSELF!"

"Iam, calm down!" Ryo-Oki grabbed her friend's shaking form. "It'll be okay!"

Iam sprung up, eyes puffy and pink, face soaked with tears. "Sh-Shizuma! Oh my God! I just realized!"

"_I hope you never come back!"

* * *

_

"_Fine!" Dekai remarked, stepping in front of the other nine. "Who cares about you? I know I don't! Heroes don't have to worry about regular people who are just wannabes."_

"I can't believe I would say something so stupid!" Dekai cried out to Ouka as the two of them fought down more Gomuras. They were so close to the center platform that it was barely five steps away. Just a bit more… "I can't believe I would say that to Mai!"

"Say what?" Ouka called. "I don't get you, kid! Who's Mai?"

"_Iam! I want to be the bracelet holder!" Dekai snapped, and Iam turned to her little brother. "Why can't you accept that I'm the hero and you're not? Are you that jealous?"  
_

"I was so big-headed!" Dekai cried out as the next Gomura fell. "Just because I had the bracelet! I thought I was so cool, that I didn't even think about Mai!" He frowned, "And then…I accused her of being jealous."

"_What I do know is this:" Dekai began, "I'm finally in the spotlight at something that you started! You can't stand it that I'm better then you!"  
__  
_"I've got to apologize…" Dekai murmured. "Say I'm sorry, and try to make things right again…"

"PHA VAK DON!" Wiseman cried, and the Cubia Core fell to the ground. The other two beamed. "C'mon! We're almost there!"

With that, the two sprinted foreword with Wiseman, almost at the goal. Kite, Ryu, and BlackRose were running up as well, and the two stepped proudly onto the center platform where the two Cubias awaited them. "This is it everyone!" BlackRose said, grasping her sword.

"When the Cores appear, push them into each other!" Wiseman announced. "This will create the reaction!"

"Right!" Kite said, nodding. "Let's do this!"

Both Kite and Dekai's bracelets began to glow as the Cubia's readied their next cores. They gave a strange motion that resembled screaming, and, very soon, two cores, very much alike, rose from the ground in front of the fighters and began to attack. "Quick! PUSH!" Dekai screamed, running to the core and sinking his weapons into it. Then, he began to push towards the other core. The others nodded to each other.

"HYAH!" Ryu and BlackRose stuck their swords into the core and began to push, as did Kite. Wiseman used his staff, and Ouka used her high strength to push with her fists.

As the cores got closer, the ground underneath them began to rumble, and the resistance between the two became heavier. "Keep going!" Wiseman shouted. "It's working! The polarities are rejecting each other!"

"Keep pushing!" Dekai shouted as he gave another shove. Kite and others were doing their best as well, even though it was tough due to the constant attacks of the Gomuras. The parties chose to ignore them, instead, focusing all of their power on pushing the cores together.

"C'mon!" Ouka growled. "We're almost there!" Truthfully, the cores were now only inches apart. The groups kept pushing, but the two cores were starting to emit electrical shocks, as if doing everything they could to not be pushed together.

"We can do it!" Wiseman assured them. "We're almost there!"

"Can't – give up yet!" BlackRose grunted as she pushed with her shoulder as well as her sword.

"This thing is going down right now!" Ryu gritted his teeth and give the core another huge shove.

"No way am I losing to this thing!" Ouka growled, pushing forward again. "C'mon! Keep on pushing!"

"We can't lose now!" Kite told himself, pushing once more. "Let's finish this!"

"Iam…" Dekai murmured, looking at the core. He glanced into its dark depths and saw the angry face of his sister staring back at him. He saw his own arrogant grin, and the tears in his sister's eyes. He shook his head, shaking the image from his mind, and gave the core another huge push. "NOW!"

As if by signal, the parties pushed the cores into each other with one huge motion. The moment they touched, the two cores began to crack, and the Cubias began to writhe in pain. The Gomuras dropped one by one, completely out of life force. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, a silence gave way.

BAM! The cores exploded and the adventurers were thrown back by the huge impact. The Cubias fell to the ground and fizzled away, completely defeated.

"AAAAHHH!" Dekai screamed as he fell back and tumbled over himself.

"Dekai!" Wiseman reached out to the boy, but it was too late. Dekai fell off the edge of the platform and fell towards the black abyss. "DEKAI!"

The group ran towards where Dekai had fallen and looked over. Dekai was still falling the distance. "Dekai!" Kite called as Dekai reached up his hand towards them.

Suddenly, a red colored blur seemed to leap over Dekai. They all blinked from surprise, but when they opened their eyes, both Dekai and the blur were gone. "Oh my gosh!" Ouka cried. "He fell! What are we gonna do?"

"I'm messaging Kalen," Wiseman said quickly. "He'll be able to track Dekai."

* * *

"What's wrong with Iam?" Chikoro asked, looking at the crying form of her friend that was in the far distance. "Is she still upset?"

"Not sure," Achean said.

"How do you think the fight is going?" Vizota asked. "It's been awhile…"

"I can't say for sure," Sersen murmured. "But I'm starting to get worried too."

"Hmm?"

The group looked up to see Kalen pop his head up from his keyboard work. He paused, "I've got a message from Wiseman."

"What does it say?" Vizota asked eagerly.

There was another pause as Kalen read the message. The group waited a few seconds, then, suddenly, Kalen gasped and started to run towards the bridge. "Iam! Iam!"

"K-Kalen!" Orizo ran after the Black Hacker. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"It's Dekai!" said Kalen. "Dekai's gone!"

"What?" Iam looked up, her eyes wide. She ran over to Kalen, shaking. "Wh-what's wrong? What happened to Shizuma?"

"He fell off a ledge after they won the battle--"

"They won?"

"Yes, Ryo, they won. But Dekai…he fell off the ledge! They don't know what happened to him!"

"I'm taking off my headset!" Iam said. There was a pause and everyone waited for Iam's reaction. "G-guys! It's no good! I-I…" she stopped, then spit it all out at once. "I can't take off my headset!"

"Damn," Kalen cursed. "It's the Prism Players all right. They must have hacked into your headset and put it on the tight security function."

"I'm going to the area!" Iam insisted, running forward towards the Chaos Gate.

"No, you can't!" Kalen exclaimed, running back and catching Iam's shoulder. "You don't have a ring anymore! Even if you find Dekai, who knows what might happen?"

"I don't care about that."

Kalen pulled back, and everyone gasped at Iam's reaction. She spun around to face him and stepped right up close to Kalen, her face an inch from his. "You don't know what it's like!" she snarled. "I don't care if I don't have a ring anymore! My little brother is in trouble, and I'm going to help him!" she turned on her heel towards the gate. "And if you get in my way, I won't forgive you!"

"Iam!" Orizo ran after her, but it was too late. Iam was already at the Chaos Gate.

"**Hidden, Crossed Over, White Sun!" **she called out and then jumped through the Chaos Gate without a second thought.

"Iam! No!" Orizo reached in his hand after her, but pulled back, realizing she was already gone. "Wh-what happened? I thought she despised Dekai just a bit ago…"

"She's realized something important," Rena said, stepping forward with Ryo-Oki. "And now…she feels it's her job to save her brother."

"Good luck Iam!" Ryo called to the Chaos Gate. "I know you can do it!"

* * *

"Iam?"

Wiseman looked up as he saw Iam running towards the five of them, panting and out of breath. She looked at where they were standing, near the ledge. "Is this where he fell?" she asked.

"Iam, what are you doing here?" Wiseman asked. "You're a normal player now! You can't just dive into something! You don't know what could be down there."

"It doesn't matter whether I'm normal or special!" Iam insisted. "All I know is that I'll _always _be Shizuma's big sister. And that means that I have to go after him."

The five looked at each other, and then back at Iam. "So I'll ask once more," she said sternly. "Is this where he fell?"

"Yeah!" Unexpectedly, Ryu stood up. "This is where the guy fell!"

"Ryu!" Wiseman warned him, but Ryu ignored him in a classic Ryu fashion.

"Some weird red blur came by though," he explained to Iam. "The next thing we knew, he was gone. I think the blur went with him."

"I see," Iam nodded, and then walked towards the ledge. She rocked her arms back and then turned back to the others. "I'm going in. I'll be back with Shizuma."

"Iam! Wait!" Wiseman reached out to catch Iam's shoulder, but he was too slow. The next thing anyone knew, the red clad Long Arm had dived off the ledge into the murky depths that Dekai had fallen through. They all gasped and looked over the edge, but Iam was gone, very much like Dekai before her. "Dammit! Quick, we have to get back and analyze the data here to find out where that portal goes!" he said to the others. "Time to Gate Out!"

* * *

'Where am I…?'

…

'Am I dead…?'

No…

'Who's there?'

No one worth mentioning…

'Prisma?'

No.

'Aura?'

No.

'Who are you…? I don't know where I am. I remember jumping…but now everything's so dark…'

Why did you jump?

'I had to…he was in trouble. Dekai…'

Let him die…

'I can't.'

Why not?

'He's my brother…and…'

And?

'And I love him. Who are you? Why do you keep asking questions?'

I don't understand. Please repeat.

'Who are you? Why are you talking like that?'

I don't understand. Please repeat.

'Am I almost to where Dekai is?'

Yes.

'How close?'

Very.

'How close is very?'

Why am I still here? Do you think I'm worthless?

'How could I think you're worthless? I don't even know who you are…'

…

'Are you there?'

You're almost there.

'To Dekai?'

Yes.

'Thank you…for keeping me company.'

…You're here.

* * *

End of the chapter! Ack! I bet you're all pretty mad at me, aren't you? Sorry, sorry! Please review the story! The next chapter will be SUPER cool, I assure you!

Sammy


	19. The Calm After the Storm

Hmm…okay. I've got a problem.

My brain won't stop working.

I've got TOO many ideas bouncing around up there! Just today, I was thinking about the SEQUELS to this story. "Oh, I could write one about this!" or maybe "I could write about this person!" "Second generation?" "Other side?"

Just shoot me! I've got to finish what I started! Ack! But don't worry. The story is far from over. This chapter is what we like to call the "mini-climax." Now, any real author, if you speak to them, will tell you straight out that there is no such thing as a "mini-climax". It's what I call a climax of a certain event. This is the climax of the "Prism Bracelet Wielder" saga of our story, so I hope you all enjoy!

Don't forget to review! I await everyone's thoughts at the end of the chapter!

* * *

Log On! 19: The Calm After the Storm

* * *

"Iam! Wait!" Wiseman reached out to catch Iam's shoulder, but he was too slow. The next thing anyone knew, the red clad Long Arm had dived off the ledge into the murky depths that Dekai had fallen through. They all gasped and looked over the edge, but Iam was gone, very much like Dekai before her. "Dammit! Quick, we have to get back and analyze the data here to find out where that portal goes!" he said to the others. "Time to Gate Out!"

* * *

"Sorry, Wiseman, I'm not picking up anything yet."

"Work faster."

"It's not that easy!" Kalen snapped, feverously typing on his keyboard and looking at data in a pop up screen in front of him. "The server goes back online in ten minutes, and you want me to track down two people who could have gone anywhere!"

"The administrators can do it, can't they?" Wiseman asked.

"I'm hacking into their database as we speak," Kalen assured him. "But it doesn't look good…"

"Don't say that!" Orizo said, stepping forward. "You act as though Iam and Dekai are lost forever!"

"Yeah!" Chikoro said. "There's no need to be so negative!"

"You mean realistic," Kalen muttered to himself as he continued to type. "Look, right now, I need to work. I'll answer all of your questions as soon as I know more, all right?"

"Whatever you say," Wiseman nodded, leaning against the wall. "Just don't come up empty-handed. We're begging you."

"I'll do my best," Kalen nodded, adjusting his goggles. "Man, I wish the Queen were here to help."

* * *

"Ow…my head…"

Dekai, meanwhile, was sitting in a room of a dungeon. He had just woken up from what was obviously a period of unconsciousness, and he massaged the aching of his head. He looked around at his surroundings, and then himself. "Everything looks normal," he said, staring at the dungeon room. "My bracelet and my outfit is the same," he looked down to see that he still held his black and silver outfit, not to mention the large blocky black bracelet on his wrist. "Where the heck am I?"

"Nowhere special. I just brought you here because you would have died otherwise."

Dekai rose to his feet quickly at the sound of the voice. "Who's there?" he asked, drawing his blades. "Show yourself!"

"No need to get defensive."

Dekai turned around and raised his eyebrows as he saw the speaker. She was a Heavy Blade girl with long red hair, a white headband, and a white ensemble decorated with red lining. She smiled at him, walking forward towards the Bracelet holder. "And after I saved your life."

"What's your name?" Dekai asked, refusing to put away his blades.

"Moyotu," she introduced herself, smiling at him. "And you're Dekai, correct?"

"Yeah," he nodded, and sheathed his blades, still staring at her. "What do you mean…you saved me?"

"I set up a pathway channel in that weirdo area to warp directly to this one," she explained. "It's a simple hacking procedure. All I had to do was head down there with you."

"Hacking?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're a hacker?"

"You are too," she said, pointing at his design. "Or you wouldn't have that rare color scheme for your design."

"I-I…" Dekai stumbled over his words. "Umm…yeah. I am too. But I don't know how to do it or anything. I just am."

"Probably, you use that bracelet of yours," Moyotu observed, walking over to Dekai and gently placing her fingertips on the bracelet, but Dekai pulled his wrist away, as if out of fear.

"Stop it," he commanded.

Moyotu froze for a second, and then smiled slightly. "Hmm…you know, I know a lot more about that bracelet then you'd think."

"Y-you do?" he asked, watching Moyotu turn and walk away from him. "What do you mean?"

"You don't want to hear," she shrugged. "After all, it's 'hacker stuff', and it's obvious you don't want me associated with that bracelet of yours."

There was a pause, and Dekai sighed. "T-tell me."

Moyotu gave a smile when she turned her back on Dekai. She grinned, and then continued with as calm a voice as she could muster. "You know…that bracelet has a lot more power then you can harness."

"What?" Dekai asked, his eyes wide. "More power? B-but it can already rewrite data and like…like…kill stuff!"

"That bracelet has so much power, you could actually have…" she stopped abruptly, and bit her lip, as if out of worry. After a quick shake of the head, Moyotu turned around. "No, I shouldn't tell you."

"It's okay!" Dekai assured her. He was actually getting into it. Moyotu was positively grinning behind her back. "Tell me!"

'Sucker…' she thought.

"_You really think he'll just buy it that easily?" Circeca asked Moyotu, sitting in the hacker's domain while Moyotu explained her plan. "It seems pretty farfetched."  
_

"_He's a child, correct?" Moyotu shrugged. "All I have to do is play him for what he is. Feed his curiosity, you know."_

"_I get what you're saying," Circeca shrugged. "More power to you if you can pull it off…"_

"Well…if you combined your power," she said, "with…oh…let's say, another power equal to it, you could become a God of 'The World'." Dekai's eyes widened as Moyotu spoke. "So powerful, the system would recognize you as its ruler."

"Woah…heavy," Dekai murmured, looking at his bracelet.

"But what kind of power could be equal to that of that bracelet?" Moyotu thought out loud. Dekai looked at his bracelet, then at the ceiling, but was refusing to answer. Moyotu got annoyed and supplied an answer for him. "What about that _other _bracelet wielder with you? His bracelet seemed to be just as powerful."

"_If we don't get rid of the Twilight Bracelet now, it might prove detrimental in the future," Moyotu explained to Circeca. "With this plan, we kill two birds with one sword."_

"_You mean two birds with three," Circeca corrected her, and Moyotu shrugged._

"_Whatever. All I know is that if we can destroy the Twilight Power while it's in its pure form, we won't have to worry about segments flying around. Wiseman couldn't have picked a better time to combine the powers."_

"There isn't a better time to combine the powers," Moyotu said to Dekai. "You'll have both Prism _and _Twilight on your side!"

"Umm…but what would happen to Kite if I did that?" he asked.

Moyotu turned around again and quickly gave a reply. "Well…the only way to get the bracelet is to kill Kite's character and take it."

Dekai gasped, and Moyotu turned around to quickly cover. "Look, if you become God, you can just bring him back, right?" Dekai's face relaxed, and Moyotu knew she was on the right track. "Right?"

"I-I guess…but…"

"Look, just kill Kite," Moyotu told him, starting to pace around the Twin Blade. "After all, you do _want _to be a God, right? No other player has ever had the kind of opportunity you have." She sighed, shaking her head. "If it was me, and _I _was lucky enough to grab something like this, I'd go for it."

"…"

"In fact, I think any player would go for it!" Moyotu grinned, looking right in Dekai's face. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You want to be a hero, don't you?" Dekai's mouth opened slightly from surprise, but Moyotu pressed on. "To be a hero, you have to be the best. To be the best, there has to be…"

"Be what?"

There was a pause. "No competition."

Dekai's faced lowered and he stared at his shoes. Moyotu walked over to him and gave him a little hug around the shoulders. "What have you got to lose?" she breathed in his ear. "Do it, and you'll become the greatest hero of all time."

"I-I do…have to pay someone back," he murmured, looking at his bracelet. "And to do that, I _have _to become a hero."

"See?" Moyotu said, leaping off Dekai as if out of joy. "This is your ticket to heroism, _and _paying back that person you owe!"

"But…"

Moyotu's face froze as Dekai rose his head, a defiant expression his face.

"She wouldn't want me to do it like this," he said. "A lot of people gave up their powers for this bracelet, and I intend to keep it, not go around stealing other people's."

Moyotu's shocked face started to turn into a contorted expression of rage. Dekai, however, ignored this and turned around. "So…I'm going to use a Sprite Ocarina and get out now, okay?"

In a moment, Moyotu had snapped her fingers and drawn her sword. "Huh?" Dekai looked through his pack. "A-All my Ocarinas are gone! But I'm _sure _I packed some!"

"I got rid of them for you," Moyotu's ice cold voice came from behind Dekai's back, causing Dekai to slowly turn around and see the angry Heavy Blade had her sword drawn viciously.

Dekai pulled out his blades in defense, but Moyotu inched closer and closer towards the fearful Twin Blade. "You have to make things so difficult, don't you?" she snarled. "No backbone, I swear to God."

"Stop it!" Dekai shouted, aiming his bracelet at her. "S-Stop it or I'll Data Drain you!"

"That won't work on me," Moyotu dismissed him immediately. "You may think you've got the power of Prisma on your side…"

Suddenly, without another word, Moyotu charged forward. Dekai raised his daggers and blocked her first attack. She came at him again, and he once again parried the attack with as much might as he could muster.

"You can't win!" Moyotu snarled. "I'm _much _stronger then you!"

"D-Doesn't matter!" Dekai snapped back, throwing Moyotu's latest swing off of him. "I-I'm going to win! I've got to!"

"HYAH!" Moyotu gave a heavy downward slice that caught Dekai off guard. She sliced the right side of his chest, and he cried out of his HP gauge dropped.

"ARRGH!" he screamed and looked at the flowing blood from his chest. "Wh-what is this? I-It really hurts!"

"That's what you get when you accept celestial POWER!" she screamed, slicing her sword down again. Dekai rolled out of the way just in time to avoid the blow, and his hand left his bleeding chest and torn shirt in order to return to the battle. "It's a trade off! Great data transforming powers," Moyotu swung her sword again, but Dekai parried just in time, "a hell of a lot of pain!"

The battle went on. Dekai could do little in the ways of attacking. He was forced to just defend against Moyotu's onslaught of attacks and magic. Dekai knew that his chances of winning the battle were slim, and Moyotu was not about to let him out of that room.

"Give up!" Moyotu shouted to Dekai, who was now out of breath.

"I-I can't…" Dekai panted, wiping some sweat off his brow. "I can't lose now!"

"HYAH!" Moyotu gave another slice, only to be blocked and thrown off by Dekai.

"I…I can't lose…" he murmured, more to himself then to Moyotu. Tears were forming at the corners of his eyes, and he was breathing deeply. "I just can't lose…without saying sorry…"

"EAT THIS!" Another swing, another block. Dekai turned to face Moyotu, and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"I CAN'T LOSE YET!" he screamed, running forward and chucking one of his daggers at Moyotu.

Moyotu, not expecting the attack, dodged just in time for the knife to barely graze her cheek. A small cut began to dribble blood that matched the color of her hair. She looked at Dekai, now useless with only one knife. "Sorry Prism Bracelet Wielder…I bet you thought Prisma was going to help you out, right?" She smirked.

A beat.

"Prisma is just as much on my side as she is on yours."

Moyotu shouldered her sword, grinned maliciously at Dekai, and then drove it forward…

Straight through his chest.

Dekai gasped from the pain, but couldn't cry out. The sword crossed the previous cut, and, when Moyotu pulled the sword out of the dying Twin Blade's chest, a wide X-shaped cut was all that was left. Dekai looked down at the cut, then at Moyotu.

And with that, he fell.

"You won't die like a normal player," Moyotu told him as he lay there dying on the ground. "Expect to go comatose in a few seconds."

"M-Mai…"

Moyotu's eyes widened, and she looked down at him. "Who's that?"

"S-sis…" he murmured, not to Moyotu, but to himself. Blood dribbled out of his mouth as he spoke. It was a sad sight to behold. "I-I'm sorry…"

Moyotu's eyes widened, and she looked down at Dekai, a slightly pained expression flashing through her eyes. But it vanished as quickly as it had come, and gave Dekai's limp body a slight kick. "Just die already. Your presence annoys me."

Dekai looked down at his bracelet, then up at Moyotu. "W-we…we won't lose," he muttered to her. "You're going to--" But Dekai didn't finish. He sputtered out a bit of blood, then, slowly, closed his eyes and let his head fall to the side.

He was gone.

"Now…to get rid of _this _thing," Moyotu said, touching the bracelet on Dekai's chilling wrist. She raised her sword above her head, and then dropped it straight down.

"Stop!"

Moyotu spun around to see none other then Iam fall from what seemed to be the ceiling. Moyotu's eyes widened as the Long Arm shouldered her spear and struck a fighting position. "Don't touch him!"

"Iam…" Moyotu observed, smirking widely. "Iam, Iam, Iam. You don't quit, do you? Even when you've got no hardware," she pointed to Iam's bare right hand, and Iam flinched slightly. "You should know that going against me without the ring is suicide, right?"

"Get away from him!" Iam ordered again.

"But, even _with_ Prism Powers," Moyotu sighed, stepping away from Dekai's body to reveal him to his sister. "He didn't stand much of a chance."

Iam gasped and ran over to Dekai. She bent down and picked up his head and torso. "D-Dekai?" she asked, shaking him. "W-wake up! Do you need a-a Health Drink or something?"

"He's dead."

Iam looked up at Moyotu with wide, scared eyes. "N-No," she shook her head. "Y-Y-You're lying! YOU'RE LYING!" Iam swung her spear at Moyotu's head, only to have it be blocked by Moyotu's sword.

"I'm not lying," she told her. "I killed him. It was necessary."

"Shizuma!" Iam turned back and shook her brother back and forth, but he didn't stir. "W-wake up! This can't be happening!"

"I'm sorry to interrupt the funeral," said Moyotu with a cruel connotation to her voice. "But I've got a bracelet to destroy." Moyotu raised her sword over the bracelet again and brought it down, only to have Iam's spear clash it away.

Moyotu looked at Iam, whose face was hidden by her hair. "You just _love _getting in my way, don't you?"

"How could you?"

Moyotu looked at Iam, who raised her face to reveal not tears, but an uncontrollable rage and anger. Iam gritted her teeth, spitting out each word as if it were acid in her mouth. "You don't know what it's like."

"What?" Moyotu asked.

"You don't know what it's like to lose your brother!" Iam cried out to Moyotu, rising to her feet and striking her spear out.

A pause.

"I don't know what it's like…?" Moyotu asked, lowering her head to look at Dekai. Suddenly, her shoulders started to shake, and Iam thought she was crying. Then, she clenched her fists and the rest of her body started to shake uncontrollably.

Iam was watching Moyotu with interest, curious as to what was rolling through the hacker's head. Moyotu took a sigh, and then looked up, her face as red as her hair, her eyes as dangerous as Iam's. "You don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"HYAH!" Iam jumped forward with her spear, trying to cut Moyotu open, but the Heavy Blade was more then ready. She raised her sword to block, only to have Iam make another heavy thrust at Moyotu's chest.

The broad side of the sword deflected the blow, but Iam also used the broad side as a jumping platform, landing on the sword and bouncing off towards the walls. She jumped into the air, her spear thrust in front of her and over her head. "YAAAAAAAHHH!" she screamed, coming down on Moyotu, who was more then welcome to take up the challenge.

The two blades clashed, and Iam was forced to the floor. She rolled out of the way of Moyotu's downward slice and rounded on the Heavy Blade. "REPULSE CAGE!" she shouted, performing the skill on Moyotu, sending her flying backwards from the damage.

Moyotu quickly rose from the blow and gave a huge slice towards Iam, who dodged just in time. "You don't know what you're talking about!" Moyotu repeated savagely, slicing once again. Iam rolled away and tried to thrust her spear into Moyotu's stomach, only to have Moyotu jump back. "VAK DON!" she cast the spell and Iam had to dodge the flying flames coming towards her.

The two paused, catching their breath after the heated bout. Both Iam and Moyotu were out of breath, and, suddenly, a thought crossed Iam's mind.

"Why don't you just max out your stats?" she asked.

"Are you stupid Iam?" Moyotu asked, standing up and wiping a bit of blood off her mouth. "I would have done that from the beginning if I could."

Iam's eyes widened and Moyotu continued. "Since you got here, I haven't been able to hack anything."

Iam shook her head and readied her spear. "I can't forgive you. I have to defeat you now, you know that."

"Same goes for me," Moyotu told Iam, shouldering her sword. "Even a dog with missing limb might bite you."

"But before we fight…" Iam murmured. "I need to ask you one thing."

"What?"

"Why did you have to kill him?" Iam asked, her eyes tearing up once again. "C-couldn't you just have destroyed the bracelet and been done with it?"

"If I had done that, Prisma would have stopped me," Moyotu explained. Iam's eyes widened, and she lowered her spear out of surprise.

"But why wouldn't she stop you from _killing _him?" she asked. "I don't understand!"

Moyotu looked at Iam, and then shook her head. The red clad hacker gave a great sigh and continued, "What you don't seem to get…Iam…is that Prisma isn't like Aura."

"I know that much," Iam murmured.

"Prisma," Moyotu said, "will side with whoever is strongest."

Iam's eyes widened, and her mouth opened slightly. "S-So…she would allow you to kill the Bracelet Wielder?"

"I've proven myself stronger," Moyotu shrugged. "She doesn't want weak people on her side. Prisma…" Moyotu smirked, "is absolutely ruthless."

Iam looked at her spear, then back at Dekai. A million thoughts were racing through her head at once. Dekai, dead. Prisma, the fault lied with her. Moyotu, the murderer. Who was Prisma truly serving? Or was it the other way around? "Are we all just pawns?" she asked Moyotu. "Pawns for Prisma to play around with?"

"Yep," Moyotu smiled. "Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner. Tell her what she's won."

"It just doesn't make sense!" Iam cried out to Moyotu. "Prisma was helping us! Why would she just turn her back on us like this and let Dekai die like that?"

"Prisma, just like all of us," Moyotu explained, "has a goal. And it's to destroy "The World" and everything in it. We have the same goal, so we go along with her."

"And she doesn't care…" Iam started, but stopped, the tears threatening to fall out again. "And she doesn't care who she hurts in the process?" Iam shook her head and gasped for hair as tears flowed down her face. "How could anyone be so cruel!"

_No!_

Iam looked up, her head darting around. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Moyotu asked.

"Didn't you hear that voice?" Iam asked her.

"No…" Moyotu murmured. "Look, I've got work to do," she said, readying her sword again. "And I've got to kill you and kill that bracelet as quickly as possible."

Iam readied her spear as well. "I won't let you get a hold of the bracelet!"

_Please, it's not true!_

"There it is again!" Iam looked up. "That voice!"

"CAUGHT YOU OFF GUARD!" Moyotu screamed and rushed forward. Iam turned around and gasped as she saw Moyotu's sword flying towards her. Iam braced herself for the impact.

_I will not allow you to harm her!_

The sword shattered as it hit a huge white shield that appeared in front of Iam. Both Iam and Moyotu's eyes grew as wide as orange as they saw the shield dissolve into what was the form of a familiar girl.

"Aura!"

* * *

"Found it!" Kalen announced, and the group in Mac Anu looked up, eager to see what Kalen's research had come up with. "They're in an area here in Delta! **Dying, Controlled, Wings."**

"Great!" Orizo said, standing up and heading to the Chaos Gate. The other nine followed him, but Wiseman stepped forward.

"Where are you going?" he asked. "You're useless to Iam and Dekai without your rings. You do know that, right?"

"Wiseman's right…" Mia said regrettably. "Y-You could get hurt, or worse! Let Kite go and then--"

"It doesn't matter."

The others looked at the speaker, Orizo, who had raised his head to face all the other members of his party. "It doesn't matter if we've got no rings."

"Orizo-sama is right," Chikoro said, nodding. "Iam is in trouble, and we stay here, then she might die."

"You expect us to leave those two kids out there like that?" Barai asked. "You've got to be kidding us."

"They're our friends," Vizota agreed. "And we have no choice but to go after them. True, it might be easier with the rings," she nodded, "but that's no reason to not go at all. With all of us, we'll be sure to bring them back."

"Right," Orizo nodded. "**Dying, Controlled, Wings!" **He called to the Chaos Gate, and, one by one, the nine jumped through, leaving the others behind with not even a goodbye.

Kalen sighed as he watched them all leave and then slid his keyboard behind his back. "Wiseman, I'm not sure about your whole 'Prisma's Evil' idea, but I do know one thing she did that's worth condemning."

"What's that?" Wiseman asked.

Kalen looked after the Chaos Gate and shook his head. "She picked some of the most stubborn people in 'The World' as knights."

* * *

Levitating above them was none other then a girl with long, flowing, white hair and a white dress. Her infinity necklace shown with a bright sheen, and her eyes were open and looking at Moyotu.

"Dammit!" Moyotu snarled. "If only I had gotten rid of the Twilight Bracelet sooner…"

"Aura…" Iam looked up at the girl, scared and curious as to what she was doing there. "What's going on?"

"I will not allow this!" Aura said, this time, her mouth actually moving.

Iam's ears pricked up as she heard something from behind her. Both she and Moyotu turned to face it, and Aura turned around as well. Iam and Aura both gave out gasps at what they saw.

Standing in front of them was none other then Prisma, her short black hair matching her dark black dress and cape. She was staring at the three girls, but levitating over Dekai's body.

"Prisma…" Iam murmured, taking a step forward. However, Prisma did not answer Iam's greeting. Instead, she levitated downwards and picked up Dekai's dead wrist. "No! Stop!" Iam called out, not exactly sure what Prisma was even doing.

A bright purplish black light began to glow around Dekai's wrist, and, slowly, Prisma used the energy in her hands to pull the bracelet off the boy. In a shining transformation, Dekai's clothes returned to the normal teal color that they had been before. The scar and wounds remained, and now, Prisma held the bracelet in her hands, holding it close to her chest.

"See?" Moyotu said, and Iam turned around to face her. "Prisma's tough. Your brother's worm food, so she's got to find a new wielder for her precious bracelet."

Prisma turned towards Iam, and Iam turned to meet Prisma's eyes. "Prisma…" Iam murmured again.

Prisma held out her hands to Iam, silencing the Long Arm. The bracelet was now extended towards her, as if Prisma was offering it to Iam. "M-Me?" Iam asked, her eyes wide.

Prisma nodded. Moyotu gave a sharp laugh. "Hah! That's ironic. I guess you're number two in line for the junk, huh Iam? Or maybe you're just a convenient holder until she finds a new wielder."

"Iam!" Aura called to the girl, and Iam turned around. "Strike the bracelet! Don't take it! Don't take the bracelet from Prisma!"

"What?" Iam looked at her, then back at Prisma, who was still offering Iam the bracelet. Prisma moved a little closer, as if urging Iam on even farther. "What…is this?" Iam asked, her eyes wide with fear and unknowing.

"Iam! Strike the bracelet with your spear!" Aura repeated. Iam's head was turning circles. Aura was telling her to destroy the bracelet, the very thing her brother had been killed over. Moyotu was maliciously grinning at her and Dekai's dead body on the ground. Iam was trying to best to understand what was going on, and Prisma just stood there. Holding out the bracelet and wearing that same sad expression.

"B-But Dekai--" Iam said, and Aura shook her head.

"Dekai will be fine!" she assured her. "But please, listen to me! Destroy the bracelet!"

"I don't know Iam," Moyotu teased cruelly. "After all, didn't your brother _die _for that bracelet? Are you really just going to blow it up like that?"

"B-but Aura…" Iam murmured, as if trying to convince herself more then anyone else in the room.

"I don't understand…"

Iam looked up to see Prisma had spoken. Everyone immediately went silent, and there was an eerie presence hanging around the room. "Didn't you want it back…?"

"W-want what back?" Iam asked.

"Your power," Prisma said, looking at the bracelet. "Didn't you want it back? You can have it…here…"

Prisma held out her hand again, the bracelet shining in her palm. Iam looked at the shining black bracelet and thought about what the short-haired Goddess was saying.

It was true. Iam had wanted her power back the second it had been taken away from her. Even after she had resolved herself to help and save Dekai, her yearning for her ring hadn't gone away. If she accepted that bracelet, she would have her power back. She would be the wielder.

Not only that, but she would be able to help Dekai. If she could battle the Prism Players using the bracelet, then Dekai might just wake up from the coma that she was positive her little brother was in right now. Prisma was offering Iam a quick fix, but Aura was telling Iam differently. Who should she believe?

Aura, the Goddess of the Twilight. And then Prisma, the Goddess of the Prism? Iam wasn't sure what Prisma was. A demon, or an angel? She was so unsure as to what Prisma's true motives were that the decision baffled her.

"Iam!"

Iam turned around as she heard a familiar voice from behind her. She gasped as she saw nine players enter the room, panting and tired. It was the nine Prism Knights, and they were all walking towards her. "We made it!" Orizo gasped for breath, then gasped at something else. "Moyotu! Aura? Prisma?"

"It's a long story," Iam told them as they all began to draw their weapons.

"Iam! Please! Destroy the bracelet!" Aura repeated to Iam.

"Here…" Prisma held out the bracelet.

"Orizo," Iam turned to her blue clad friend. "What should I do?"

Orizo paused, and looked back at the others. They were all looking at Aura, who was in turn looking at Iam. "Iam," he said, "do what Aura says."

There was a pause, and Iam turned her eyes to Dekai, and then to the bracelet. She looked up at Prisma, who returned her gaze with the same sad stare from before. Her eyes were so hollow, as if they were black whirlpools with no ending. The whirlpools swallowed themselves in their own misery.

The question was, was Iam about to let herself be swallowed as well?

"Sorry Prisma," Iam smirked slightly, and she rose her spear into the air, looking at the black Goddess, whose expression had not changed. "But I'm afraid that this is the only way to GO!"

Iam drove the spear forward, and it crushed the bracelet, sending the supposedly immortal pieces scattering across the area of the dungeon. Aura smiled, Moyotu gasped, the Knights watched anxiously, and Prisma began to float up towards the sky, the pieces scattering to the ground, only the shiny black color remaining.

"It's…gone…" Iam breathed heavily. "But…why did I have--"

Iam was immediately silenced by a soft humming noise that filled her ears. She looked towards the Knights, who also were looking around the room for the source of the soft humming. Iam looked down towards the shards of the bracelets and gasped to see that they were slowly beginning to glow different colors.

The glow grew and grew, emitting an even louder humming noise as they gained energy. The Knights stepped forward, and wind began to gather around the pieces, kicking up dust from the dirt floor of the dungeon. Iam and the others shielded their eyes, but the light overpowered the growing dust clouds.

Suddenly, the shards shot into the air, the colored lights making streams in the sky. They all gasped at the spectacle, and, before they could finish their intake of breath, the shards shot down towards the Knights.

As if by instinct, they all raised their hands and caught the shard as it zoomed down towards them. A blast of light occurred as the shattered glass hit their hand, and Moyotu shielded her eyes while Aura and Prism simply gazed at the scene before them.

The light subsided, and the dust cleared. Moyotu looked up at what had just transpired, and she gasped to see all ten Prism Knights, standing or kneeling where the dust had just settled, adorning the newest form of Prism Power.

The rings were back.

Not to mention that they were back with an element of upgrade. On each Prism Knight's corresponding ring arm was a hefty arm guard, colored brown, lined with black, and made of some sort of leather that was strapped tightly around their forearm and wrists. They all looked at each other, then at the arm guards, nodding to each other.

"I see," Iam murmured, looking up at Aura. "Destroying the bracelet returned our power to us. But that means…" she looked over at Prisma. "Was this your plan all along, Prisma?"

* * *

"I'm getting worried," Ryo-Oki said to the remaining members that were gathered around the Chaos Gate, waiting for the return of the Prism Warriors. "They've been gone so long…"

"Hmph," Ryu shook his long haired head. "They might be void-food."

"Don't say that!" Ryo-Oki snapped, stomping her foot on the silver-haired shoulder's. He gave a slightly wince and pulled back.

"OW! What the hell did you do _that _for!"

"Stop it you two, you're not helping!" Rena reprimanded them, standing next to Shugo and Mirielle.

"What are we _supposed _to do?" Ryu asked. "Just sit around and wallow!"

"He has a point," Balmung nodded, stepping forward. "After all, standing around in silence is no way to help our friends."

"Then let's go after--" Shugo began, only to be drift off as his eyes widened. Rena looked at her brother and followed his eyes to where they were currently transfixed.

Kite's bracelet was glowing once again. The others gasped, as did Kite, as his wrist began to rise in the air, glowing a bright golden color. "Wh-what's going on?" BlackRose asked, stepping back, obviously scared.

"Kite!" Balmung called. "Are you all right!"

"The bracelet!" Kite gasped. "Look!"

The group looked up at Kite's bracelet and gasped to see that it was slowly chipping off its pearl white exterior to reveal a clear green bracelet underneath. The group also gasped to see that Kite's outfit was slowly chipping away as well. Instead of the white and gold that had once adorned him, patches of red and yellow began to appear. The chips, almost as if they were made of dried paint, began to float towards Ryo-Oki and Shugo, slowly covering their arms.

"Wh-what's happening?" Ryo-Oki asked.

"The bracelet is dissolving into its three original components!" Wiseman cried out, stepping forward. "The bracelets are returning to you!"

The flakes began to completely cover the two wielders' arms, making them both chalky white mixed with gold. "B-but what's happening to us!" Shugo cried out.

Everyone looked up at Kite and gasped to see the last few flakes fall off of him and shoot towards Shugo and Ryo. Kite, clothing now completely back to normal, and bracelet once again a mess of data branches, fell to the ground to be caught by Balmung. Meanwhile, the last few chips of Kite's clothing covered the arms of Shugo and Ryo-Oki, and the two erupted into a bright shimmering light.

Shugo's wrist began to glow, and when he opened his eyes, he saw that his blocky bracelet was back where it had been before. Ryo-Oki gasped to see her long pure white dress had returned to her, and, instead of a Axe on her back, a Wavemaster staff had taken its place.

"I-I can't believe it!" Shugo gasped, looking at his wrist. "Our bracelets are back!"

"But why?" Ryo-Oki asked, raising her eyebrows.

"It must be the same with them."

The group looked up to see Wiseman looking at the Chaos Gate, a grim expression on his face. "It must be the same with the Prism Warriors. Dekai's bracelet has deteriorated and returned to its dissolved form. Because of the imbalance of power in the system, your bracelets returned to normal as well."

"B-but…the only reason that would happen is…" Ouka began, her eyes wide.

Wiseman frowned, his eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed. "I can only assume the worst has happened to Dekai."

* * *

"Dammit!"

The group turned to see Moyotu pulling out her sword. "So, I get it now. There never _was supposed_ to be a Prism Bracelet Wielder!"

"What are you saying?" Iam asked, brandishing her newly ringed fist.

"It was Prisma's plan all along!" Moyotu grimaced. "To increase her power! Little does she know that she's actually deterred her plan!"

"What!" Iam turned around to face Prisma, who was looking blankly at the ten. "Is this true?"

"She's not going to answer you!"

The group looked up to see none other then Koga, the green clad Prism Player, fall from the ceiling, smiling widely and landing next to Moyotu. "She's just a stupid virus after all!"

"You're Koga," Chikoro murmured, looking at the boy.

"Hey! You remembered!" Koga grinned, "I'd thought you wouldn't recognize me because I changed my hair!" he pointed to his new green hairdo.

Prisma stared at Aura, who refused to meet her eyes. Aura nodded to Iam, looked at Moyotu, and then disappeared in a soft white light. Prisma sighed, staring at her empty hands, and also disappeared, making Koga frown as the two left. "Man! And now they ditch! How lame!"

"Stop playing games Koga…"

Koga and the others looked up to see none other then the purple clad Long Arm, Ryuin, and his werewolf dressed in blue companion, Circeca, falling down from the ceiling and landing next to Moyotu as well. "Are you okay Moyotu?" Circeca asked the shorter girl.

"I'm fine."

"Good. We wouldn't want you turning Prism food," Ryuin muttered, brandishing his spear. "Hello there. It's been a long time, knights."

"Hey Shit-for-brains!" Gabriella grinned, pulling out her axe in response to his challenge. "You wanna go at it now? I'm more then willing to take you on!"

"Man! This conversation's getting to be a drag, right Nakar?"

"HAH! I actually like it! I hope he chops off her head! Then we can keep it!"

"That's disgusting Nakar…"

Again, falling from the ceiling were three more Prism Players: the cheery orange Twin Blade, Yusena, the blood-thirsty and crazy indigo Thief, Nakar, and the mild mannered and sadistically suave brown clad Bowman, Ziutenko. All three landed on the ground, only to be followed silently by one more player.

The black Prism Player, a Blade Master named Garavarta, fell to the ground, her eyes blank and sad. She held her sword loosely in her hand and looked at her shoes, unable to raise her neck.

"Garavarta, snap out of it," Ziutenko muttered, pulling the black clothed Blade Master towards her.

"Don't even bother! She's practically non-responsive!"

The next to fall was none other then Izaile, the speaker, a Heavy Axeman adorned in yellow, and Tikairo soon after him. Izaile shot the knights a defiant smirk, and Tikairo looked at them coldly, obviously still sore about their last battle.

"Well, here we are," Moyotu grinned, raising herself to a tall stance. The ten Prism Players were all assembled in that area with the newly christened Knights. The two groups stared each other down, as if they were two teams about to play in a sports game. Iam's eyes darted over to Dekai's dead body, and she glared at Moyotu.

"Moyotu!" Iam announced, stepping forward and showing her armguard to Moyotu in defiance. "From this point on, I'm going to use this power that Dekai gave us! And we're going on the offensive!"

There were a few looks from the Prism Knights at their leader as she bravely spoke. "Don't think we're going easy on you any longer! This time, it's our turn to attack! And we won't show you," Iam stomped her foot on the ground and pointed to Dekai, "any mercy for what you've done!"

There was a silence as Iam finished her powerful declaration of war on the Prism Players. Moyotu stared at Iam and shook her head, smiling. "Prism Players!" Moyotu's team looked at her and she nodded to them, "It's time for our revenge to be molded into its final form! We've gained enough power from the protected areas to start our real plan!"

Iam grimaced. _So that's the kind of power they gained from destroying those areas and placing Data Bugs all around the servers…_

"From this point on," Moyotu threw her arm out, as if commanding an army, "the Prism Wave shall begin!"

The Prism Players nodded to one another, and before Iam knew it, the Prism Knights had stepped forward to join her in a straight line of defiance against the evil players. "We won't let that happen!" Chikoro piped up. "We'll stop the Prism Wave, no matter what!"

"And we'll defeat each Prism Phase!" Barai said, his eyes narrowed. "The Epitaph won't come to pass!"

"Well then," Moyotu smiled. "I suppose this is where the real battle begins."

With a snap of her fingers, Moyotu and the others were gone, disappearing in a flurry of golden rings. The Prism Knights were left alone in the room with only Dekai's corpse.

"We should…get back to the others," Orizo said to Iam, looking at Dekai. "Iam, I'm so sorry…is Shizuma…"

"She's not there."

Orizo looked over at Chikoro as she spoke up. "Do you really think that Iam would waste a second _here_ now that she can check on her brother? She's in the real world now," Chikoro said. "With no hacking to stop her…she's got to tell herself the truth…" Tears formed at the edge of Chikoro's eyes as she drifted off in mid-sentence.

"She's got to tell herself the truth about her brother," Tiyra finished, and they all looked at Iam's unmoving avatar.

* * *

"Shizuma!" Mai ripped off her now unlocked headset and threw it on the table, turning to her brother. She gasped as she saw Shizuma, bracelet now gone, hunched over the computer table, unconscious and possibly comatose. "SHIZUMA!"

Mai grabbed her brother, tears falling down her face. She tried to lift him, and, due to his smaller size, she was barely able to drag him a few feet to her bed and lie him on it. She felt his face, cold and sweaty.

"Oh my God…Shizuma," Mai cried, tears falling down her face. "Shizuma!" She pressed her hand to his chest and breathed a sigh of relief. "He's…he's got a beat. He's alive…" Her eyes traveled back and she gasped as she saw a distinct tear in Shizuma's Tee-shirt over his chest.

She lifted his shirt and gasped to see that he had the same x-shaped wound that Moyotu had given Dekai. However, instead of being a bloody fatal wound, it was a dark, worn scar, as though it had been there for years. Her eyes were wobbling, her hands shaking. She was unable to understand what had happened to her brother.

"M-Mom! Mom and Dad! I've g-g-got to…call them!" she cried, fumbling for the phone on her desk. But before she could press the "dial" button, the phone rang in her hand, and she gasped, pressing the "talk" button.

"H-he-hello?" she breathed shakily, her voice wobbling as much as the hand that held the phone.

"Mai! It's me, Hiromi! I called an ambulance and they're coming to your house! Call your parents! I'm telling everyone to head to the hospital, okay?"

"R-right," she nodded. "Th-thank…thank you Hiromi…"

"Don't mention it," he told her. "Is…is he…alive?"

"Y-yes…" she nodded, crying again. "He's alive… But he's…he's…"

"Don't say it," Hiromi shook his head. "You don't have to. I'm going now."

"B-bye…" Mai croaked, hanging up the phone and immediately picking it up again to call her parents. "Oh…God…Shizuma… Please forgive me…"

* * *

"Your son is comatose, Yanagi-san. There have been other reports of players falling comatose while playing online games. Is your son an epileptic by any chance?"

"No."

"Sensitive to light or sudden movement?"

"Never."

"I can't see the reason. There have been other cases connected with "The World" before, though. Five years ago, in particular. But don't worry. Almost everyone came out of that coma in a matter of months. I…I think that we can hope the best."

"Thank you."

Mai sat on a plastic chair in the hospital hall, her friends around her, her eyes in the fragments of the red scarf that she had pulled out of the wastebasket and held to her chest as she waited for the doctor to finish speaking to her parents. She looked through the glass at her brother lying in bed, an IV strapped to his arm and an oxygen mask around his slightly moving mouth. His hospital gown had been pulled down slightly to show their parents Shizuma's scar.

"I-I've never seen--" Mai's mother began, but her father cut in.

"Accident. When he was six." Mai and her mother both looked at her father and the doctor nodded, noting something on his clipboard and pulling the gown back over the boy's shoulder.

"Thank you. I'll be back in a bit with the test results." The doctor left and Mai stood up shakily, her seven friends following her to the door.

"Wh-why'd you lie?" Mai asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"They wouldn't have believed us if we had said he got a scar _that _hardened overnight," he father said blankly. His voice was scratchy and low, and he held his head, as though it were pounding. "I need to sit down…"

"Mai, how did this happen?" her mother asked, looking at Mai with tear-filled eyes. "What happened?"

Mai paused and shook her head. "I-It…was all really…sudden, a-and…I didn't…see," she sputtered out the words, her lips trembling along with the hands that held the scarf. "J-Just…a bad ac-accident…hit his head…or…something…"

Mai's eyes moved to her father, who was looking at her with a dark expression. Mai bit her lip, knowing very well what was going through her father's head.

"_Dad! The game's dangerous!" she blurted out and her father chuckled. _

"_Mai," he said, looking at her with an amused expression, "I doubt that an online game is 'dangerous'. Everything will be fine, I assure you."_

_Everything will be fine…_

"They wouldn't have believed us…" he repeated, and Mai's mother turned to him, as did Mai. "They wouldn't have believed us, and it…would only stop us from helping him."

"Y-you mean the scar?" Mai's mother asked. But Mai wasn't paying attention to what her mother was saying. She and her father were looking at each other, eye to eye. Shizuma had her father's eyes, she reminded herself.

"But if keeping the truth ever became dangerous," Mai's father said as he stood up and wandered over to his son. He looked down at the twelve year old boy and softly held his hand. "Then I will definitely tell the doctors the truth."

"Yes, Dad," Mai murmured. Her father simply released his young son's hand and walked towards the door. "Mai, your mother and I are staying the night. We're getting some blankets from the house. Would you like to stay here with your friends?"

"No," Mai shook her head. "I'll be coming with you home… But you go ahead. I'm going to say goodbye to them."

"Okay dear," her mother nodded, and she and Mai's father walked down the hall of the hospital, leaving Mai alone with her seven friends.

"I meant what I said," Mai told them, and they all nodded solemnly.

"You're right," Fuko nodded to Mai. "We can't just sit on defense anymore. We have not only Kalen, Wiseman, and the Twilight Dragon on our side now, but also these updated rings."

The group looked down at their arms, which were now strapped into the armguards. Their fingers shined with the colored rings that attached to the guards. "These sure are inconspicuous, huh?" Sota joked, knocking the hard leather with two of his fingers.

"Good thing dress code allows bracelets and gloves," Ayumi murmured, trying to catch on with Sota, who was obviously trying to lighten the mood. "R-right?"

Mai didn't answer. She, instead, dragged her feet until she was standing in front of her brother, lying in bed. She lowered the gown off his shoulder and looked at the scar on his chest, her eyes showing a hurt expression. "I won't forgive her. Ever."

Mai felt Hiromi's hand clasp on her shoulder, but she didn't turn to look at him. "Neither will I."

"Guys?" Mai turned around to the seven. "Do you mind if I'm alone with Shizuma for a little bit?"

"No, that's cool," Sot assured her, standing up. "C'mon guys, carpool time. Half of you in my car and half in Fuko's, kay?"

"Can't we just take a taxi?" Ayumi asked as the seven left, Hiromi going out last. "There's so much traffic."

Mai lost track of the conversation as the group rounded the corner of the hallway, leaving her alone with her brother who was still breathing shortly. She sat down and stared at her brother's scar, frowning. "Shizuma…what are you?"

Had Shizuma been just as Moyotu said? A tool simply to bring about the greatest form of Prism energy to the Prism Knights? Was Dekai's death a necessary tool in the bringing about the end of "The World"? And was that Prisma's true goal?

What about Aura? She had been the one who had told Iam to destroy the bracelet. At least Aura wasn't as mellow and stoic as Prisma. With Prisma, you never got a straight answer about what she wanted you to do, or why. And this made Mai wonder…

What exactly was she doing in "The World"?

"Beautiful child."

Mai jumped almost three feet in the air as she heard a solemn, calm voice coming from the chair next to her. She turned and gasped to see a figure running his gray gloved finger over Shizuma's scar, staring at him intently.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked, her eyes wide. "How'd you get in here?"

"Time is short," the man said, still stroking the scar. The man looked to be in his mid twenties, but already had dove white hair that fell in almost dying wisps. His eyes, in contrast, were a penetrating red with small black pupils, and his skin was pale and sickly looking. His right ear had a red earring on it, and his ensemble consisted of hospital gown, much like Shizuma's. However, Mai looked at his limp wrist to see a red scar, identical to the one she held in hand, tied around the man's wrist.

"A-Are you a patient?" she asked shakily. "H-Have you gotten lost in the hospital?"

"I can't exist here for long," the man said, turning to her and meeting her eyes with his dark red ones. A shudder went through Mai. "You should know that, Iam."

Mai's eyes widened as she looked at the man. "Wh-what do you want?"

"Give it to me," he demanded, not in a dark, sinister, or evil way, but a simply matter of fact statement. "I need it, please."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Mai muttered, her hands still shaking. She was contemplating running, but she knew she couldn't leave Shizuma.

"Give me the Second Chance," he told her, pointing to her chest. "I need it for this beautiful creature."

"Wh-what?" Mai asked, but, before she could stop the white haired man, he had thrown his hand at her chest and plunged his hand through her torso. She gasped, her eyes wide, but the pain didn't come. Instead, his hand disappeared, as if into another dimension, and he muttered a few words under his breath.

With one swift motion, the man pulled what he came for from Mai's chest, and she grasped where his hand had just been, feeling no blood. She looked up and he revealed to her what he had just pulled: a silver necklace with a red charm on the end. He turned to Shizuma and put it around his neck, raising his neck only slightly. "Don't remove that," he told her. "Don't let anyone remove it, do you understand?"

"What are you?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"My name is Niiro-Meiru," he told her, standing up. Mai looked at the tall man and her eyes fell to his wrist. She realized the red scarf was gone… "I am one of the Ten Priests of Futame."

"F-Futame?"

"I'm afraid my existence in this form is failing," he told her, looking at his hands. Mai looked at them as well and gasped to see that they were slowly disappearing, as if they were grains of sand falling out of an hourglass. "Thank you, Iam. Dekai will be fine, I assure you."

"W-wait! Stop!" Mai reached her hand out to grab the wrist of the man, but it only exploded into a million tiny grains of sand, and she gasped as she looked at the slowly disintegrating man. He gave her a small, rare smile and opened his mouth to say his goodbye.

"I shall never see you again."

With that, he fell crashing to the ground, a pile of white sand. Mai reached frantically down to grab a handful of the grains, but they sunk through the floor, as if being dissolved into an ocean. Mai pulled back and stared at her brother, who was sleeping peacefully as if nothing had ever happened. She looked at the chain now dangling around his neck, but saw nothing suspicious about it: as simple silver chain with a red pendant on it.

"I-I should go…" she murmured to Shizuma. "If…If Niiro…Niiro-Meiru comes back, tell him that I still have questions for him."

With that, Mai stood up, gave a glance back at the floor, and shook her head, sighing. She turned around, remembering her appointment with her parents at the car, and walked quickly out, giving Shizuma one last look.

"I guess I have more important things to worry about," she said, narrowing her eyes, "then a strange Sand Man."

* * *

Well guys! That's it! Chapter 19! I hope you all enjoyed it!

Yaaaay! Everyone got their powers back! Iam and the others now have updated Prism Power (arm guard/gauntlets), Dekai's…well, dead, and a strange weirdo has appeared! (Niiro-Meiru).

Don't worry too much about Niiro though. His role in this story is quite minimal. But, he does bring up something I want to offer to you all:

A lot of people have been asking if they could have their character "make a cameo" in this story, and I'm afraid I just didn't have the spot on the plotline to include extra characters.

Readers: LIAR!

Ow! Okay, okay! So I included Ryo, Mia, Ryu, and others. (Not to mention more cameos coming) but those are special exceptions! (laughs) Anyway, because everyone's been asking for cameos, I didn't just want to say "Yes!" and give their character an insignificant role that was only an eye-sore.

SO!

I am recruiting cameos for Niiro-Meiru's group, which will appear in ANOTHER .hack fanfic. Your character will actually have a ROLE (GASP) and a PURPOSE (DOUBLE GASP). I know, it's mind shattering, but here's the problem.

I'm only accepting nine applications. So, that means, if you want your character to get in, you'd better make them interesting :D!

I'm putting the application on my profile page! So check it out and send in an application!

Don't forget to review!

Until then,

Ciao for now!


	20. A Real Life Shocker

Hey there guys! Here we are with the big Two-O of "Log On!" Chapter 20 is already here, and I'm really excited.

You know what I said about there being around 25 chapters of this story?

Lies.

Big lies.

Huge lies.

We're already on Chapter 20, and the group hasn't even fought ONE Prism Phase. (facefaults). And they're not fighting one this chapter either. And probably not next chapter. I'M SUCH A STUPID LOSER!

Okay! The first fight will be in Chapter 22! I'M LAYING DOWN THE LAW!

…I hope.

Anyway! Enjoy please!

* * *

Chapter 20 – A Real Life Shocker

* * *

"HYAH!" Iam threw her spear forward, destroying the moth monster in front of her and ending the battle for her party. A little whiles ago, Iam had logged on to find Achean and Tiyra both on, and the three had partied up and headed to a dungeon.

"You're on fire today, Iam!" Tiyra announced, wiping her brow and using a health drink on the battered Achean.

"Of course," Iam nodded. "We've got to keep getting stronger for the fights against the Prism Phases, don't we?"

"Right," Achean said simply.

"All of us have already gotten to Level 30, right?" Tiyra asked the two, and they both nodded. "And I just got a message from that stupid dog-boy."

"Sersen?" Iam asked, looking up. "What did he say?"

"He's with all the others. They've all been going to dungeons too. Can you believe they'd leave us out like that?" she laughed.

"Uhh…didn't we leave _them _out of _our_ party?" Achean asked, and Tiyra shoved his shoulder.

"Whatever! That stupid mutt doesn't deserve to fight by my side anyway!" Tiyra gave a haughty laugh and flipped her hair.

"Hey Tiyra," Iam spoke, and Tiyra looked up. "I just wanted to ask. Do you and Sersen know each other personally?"

"Huh? Us? No way! Not a chance!" she raised her hands, as if to show how wrong Iam was. "That's like one millionth a chance of happening! You know!"

"I was just wondering," Iam smiled. "You two seem to be really good friends. You're university students right?"

"No."

"But you said," Iam raised an eyebrow, "that first day we met. You guys kept having to leave for class."

"Uhh…yeah!" Tiyra started to sweat. "Uhh, what I meant was, we're graduate students!"

"Oh, I see," Iam nodded. "That must be cool. What do you guys do?"

"Well Sersen is a--" she stopped. "I don't know what Sersen does!" she shrugged. "But I'm a journalist."

"You went to graduate school for journalism?" Achean asked. "Funny, I thought that a four-year degree was enough for that."

"I-I guess…that…" Tiyra paused, and then quickly opened her mouth. "I know! Let's head to **Lambda!**"

"**Lambda?**" Iam asked. "You mean the **Lambda** server?"

"Yep!" Tiyra nodded her white haired head. "Carmina Gadalica! The Cultural city of "The World". It's great!"

"It's nice," Achean shrugged. "A little noisy though."

"And since we're Level 30, we can handle the monsters in that server!" she said. Iam looked at Achean, and the two nodded, turning back to Tiyra. "Great! I'll tell Sersen and the others to meet us there!"

* * *

"Woah! This place is great!" Chikoro gasped, running forward, Gabriella hot on her tails. The ten hackers had just arrived in the **Lambda **server, the city of Carmina Gadalica. The town was huge, filled with tall shining buildings and stone bridges that made up all the streets of the town. Players sat at small cafes, street performers did tricks for spare GP between shops, and the sky was always brilliant painted like velvet dotted with shining pins.

"Carmina Gadalica is amazing," Orizo observed, looking around. "The cities truly do get more and more amazing as you get higher and higher level."

"We've already hung out here, so I guess it's not that great to us," Barai said to Sersen, the two sharing a small smirk. "But these kids are going bonkers."

"I've been here too," Achean muttered, looking at the Bowman and Werewolf, who simply gave small smiles.

"C'mon! Let's go get something to eat!" Tiyra said, pointing to the café tucked into the corner of the city.

"No way, I'm going exploring!" Chikoro's eyes were wide as saucers. "Orizo-sama, let's go exploring together!" she grinned, grabbing the twin blade's arm.

"H-Hey! Wait!" Iam called, following the two. "I'm coming too!"

"Chikoro-sama, I am obliged to follow you wherever you may go!" Zaiten called after the three, also running after them.

"It's so obvious that they're just a bunch of kids," Vizota smiled. "Isn't that right, Barai?"

"Ooo, look! A blimp in the sky!"

Barai was greeted by a kick to the head from Vizota. "I guess we know who the _biggest_ kid is!" she said, blushing slightly. She gruffly grabbed his collar and dragged him off towards a weapon shop. "C'mon! Now is the perfect time to upgrade our equipment."

"B-but the blimp!"

Achean turned to Tiyra and Sersen and sighed. "I'm going to go follow the others. They might get into trouble or something…"

"That's fine," Tiyra smiled. "Go off with your friends. You don't need an excuse, you know."

Achean blushed slightly and turned around, looking down the street. He walked as quickly as possible without looking eager to get away from the remaining two ring holders. "Well, I want some food!" Tiyra said, nodding to the café. "Care to join me?"

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Sersen teased, and Tiyra sighed, shaking her head.

"You wish, dog boy."

"I would be honored to accompany you," Sersen said, kneeling down and kissing Tiyra's gloved and armored hand. Surprisingly enough, Tiyra didn't stop him or pull her hand away. She lifted him up and held his hand in hers.

"What's up with you today? You're in a good mood," she said.

"I guess those kids put me in a nice state of mind," he said, smiling and walking with the white haired fighter. "It's a nice day, and the sky is beautiful."

"It'll always be that way," Tiyra said, narrowing her eyes.

"I meant the real sky," he said, laughing. "I take off my headset every once in a while, you know."

"Really?" Tiyra paused. "Yeah, you're right. It's a nice day."

"So you still up for that café?" Sersen asked. "This taste bud technology is really great nowadays. And you won't get fat! Good for your thighs!"

"SHUT UP YOU!" Tiyra threw a punch at Sersen, connecting with his head and leaving a large bump rising off his skull. "That's what you get for making fun of me again!"

"Tiyra, Sersen!" Both Tiyra and the beaten Sersen turned to see Iam and the others running towards them. "Someone told me that the café has taste bud sensory technology! Is that true?"

"Yeah, it's true," Tiyra giggled. "Let's go get something to eat, shall we?"

"Oh yeah! I want to try it too!" Chikoro nodded and grabbed Orizo's arm. "C'mon! Let's go!"

"Ch-Chikoro, wait!"

"Where's the fire?" Vizota asked, walking towards them with Barai behind her.

"We're going to the café," Tiyra told her.

"Care to join us?" Sersen asked. "Our treat."

"Why not?" Barai shrugged, smiling at Vizota. "Sound cool to you?"

"I don't know," Vizota sighed. "We did just eat at work."

"You two work together?" Sersen asked. "That's really cool."

"No, it really isn't…" Vizota grumbled. "All he does is screw up and bother me at work _and _school. How annoying."

"It isn't _that _bad," Iam laughed. "You two run the store just fine."

"Iam's right," Orizo nodded. "Pops says the store's run just fine with you two working."

"And you guys know them too?" Tiyra asked, pointing to Vizota and Barai. "Man, don't tell me you _all _know each other in real life?"

"Yep, actually," Iam nodded. "You two are the only ones who we haven't met in real life."

Tiyra and Sersen looked at one another, both looking slightly uncomfortable with the situation. "Umm…yeah, that's weird."

"Maybe we should all meet?" Iam asked, smiling. "I mean, we're not murderers or pedophiles, I assure you that much."

"It's not that!" Tiyra assured her. "Uhh…well…it's just that my apartment is messy and…"

"We can meet somewhere besides your apartment," Achean said dryly, and Tiyra blushed.

"And I bet I don't live anywhere near you guys!" Sersen said. "I live all the way up in Tokyo!"

"Great! We're just an hour or so south of Tokyo!" Iam smiled and Sersen's eyes grew wide. "Isn't that great? You can just take the train down, right?"

"…I…uhh…" Sersen murmured.

"Well, I live about an hour and half south of Tokyo," Tiyra said, sighing. "So it should only take you a half an hour to get to my place. I've got an idea."

"Hmm?"

"Let's meet halfway. There's a cool Chinese restaurant about fifteen minutes north of my apartment," she said. "It's called 'Chow Mein Flavor'. Let's meet there around 12:15 on Sunday okay?"

"I don't know," Iam shrugged. "That means Sersen has to get on the train really early, doesn't it? Let's make it later."

"No, I can make it in time," Sersen sighed. "I-I….I wake up early anyway."

"Great!" Chikoro cheered. "Then 'Chow Mein Flavor' it is! See you guys on Sunday! It'll be so cool to meet you in person!"

"Yeah," Tiyra sighed.

"Really cool…" Sersen finished.

* * *

"So we're meeting Tiyra and Sersen in real life today," Mai sat on a plastic folding chair in the hospital. She was currently sitting in front of a bed, staring at the face of her comatose brother, Shizuma. "It'll be exciting I bet. And it'll also make things easier. Communicating, you know?"

Mai had decided to visit Shizuma before heading over to the restaurant that Sunday morning. She had been visiting regularly, sometimes after school as well. "I can't believe it's almost summer," she sighed. "Just a month more of school, you know. So much has happened this year."

There was a pause.

"Don't worry," she said. "I'll try to defeat the Prism Players before your graduation ceremony. After all, you're in the sixth grade. You've been waiting for this forever."

Another pause. It was as if she was waiting for a response.

"You're going to Ijyuin Middle School right? It'll be tough, being a freshman," she said. "Don't let anyone push you around, okay? And button your collar all the way up on the first day to impress the teachers. But after that, you can leave the jacket open, if you want."

Pause.

"Are you going to join any clubs? You're good at sports, so I think you could join an athletic club. But watch out. Your senpais will probably get up in your face if you're better then them. Maybe you could do baseball or volleyball."

Silence.

"But it's okay if you don't feel like dong athletics. There are lots of other clubs, you know. Like you could be on the student council, or the culture club."

Mai shook her head and stood up. "I'd better get going. You think about it yourself, okay? Just don't join the cheerleading squad, or Ayumi will come over and try to give you lessons, okay?"

I guess I should leave," Mai smiled, standing up. "I mean, I have to be there by 12:15 and it's already," she glanced at her watch. "ACK! OHMIGOSH! It's already 11:50! I'm going to be late! Sorry Shizuma, I've got to run!"

Mai grabbed her bag, looked at her brother, smiled, and then ran out of the room, in a terrible rush.

* * *

Mai checked her watch and sighed as she ran along the sidewalk, obviously late. "Crap! It's already noon! I'm supposed to be at the restaurant in fifteen minutes! No way I'm going to make it in time!"

Mai ran up to a red light and sighed. She didn't have time for crosswalks right now! She looked up and down the street and noticed that no cars were coming. "I can go, even if the light's red," she said, starting to run down the crosswalk. "After all, no one's coming anyway."

Mai continued to walk quickly down the street, not bothering to watch out for any cars. She continued to walk until she heard a sound.

She turned and gasped to see a car speeding right towards the crosswalk. Mai was frozen to the spot as she saw the car coming towards her.

"Watch out!"

Mai gasped as she felt a hand reach out and pull her across the crosswalk. The car drove by Mai and her rescuer, honking after her. Mai turned to see that her savior was none other than a boy who looked to be in Junior High. He had black hair and bright silver eyes that held Mai captivated. "Are you okay?"

She blinked and nodded. "Uhh yeah, sorry about that," she said to the boy. Even though he looked younger then her, he still stood taller, and she had to look up to talk to him directly. "I was just in a hurry."

"Well, that was obvious." Mai looked over the boy's shoulder to see a boy and a girl standing on the sidewalk curb. It had been the boy, one with dark brown hair and half moon glasses, who had spoken. "But there's a reason they have red lights, you know."

"Taro, don't be like that," the girl said. She was a pretty girl, a little shorter then Mai, with long brown hair and a blue hair ribbon. She was obviously cute, but seemed to have a sort of spunk about her as well. "After all, you've done worst stuff then crossing the street illegally."

"Look, I'm really sorry," Mai said, looking down at her hand. She gasped to see that the boy's hand was not only holding her armguard, but that on his finger was an ornate ring, colored silver, decorated with a crescent moon design.

"What's with that weird gauntlet?" Taro asked pointing to Mai's hand. Mai shook her hand away and walked over to the sidewalk.

"It's nothing," Mai responded sharply.

"Is it some sort of fashion statement?" Taro asked, looking at the guard. "Cool ring though. Red your favorite color?"

"Taro, stop bothering her already!" the girl snapped. "After all, you don't exactly have amazing taste either."

Mai looked up to see that Taro also had a strange jewelry piece on. It was a large bracelet, bronze in color and decorated with the mercury symbol. The girl also had a golden ring on, decorated with a sun design. "What's that supposed to mean, Natsume?"

"Oh crud!" Mai gasped, looking at her watch. "I'm late! I'm really sorry, but I have to be somewhere soo--" A bouncy ringtone began playing and Mai turned slightly pink as she noticed it was her cellphone.

"One second," Mai laughed slightly and opened her bag, pulling out her cellphone and realizing it was Hiromi on the other line. "Hiromi? What's up?"

There was a pause. "No…I didn't get a text message. I turned my message ringtone off." Another pause. "Are you frickin' serious?" Mai asked, her eyebrows knotting together. "Not for another three hours? But I'm halfway there!"

"Looks like her boyfriend blew her off for a date," Taro murmured to Natsume, and Natsume frowned, rolling her eyes.

"Whatever," she sighed. "Maybe I'll just go home and wait or something. Thanks for the heads up Hiromi. Yeah. Don't worry about it. See you." With that, Mai closed her phone and put it in her bag.

"So he blew you off?" Taro asked.

"For your information," Mai narrowed her eyes. "That was _not _my boyfriend, and he was just telling me that the time was changed. I was meeting my friends today."

"Well, if you're going to be alone for awhile, you can hang out with us," said the boy who had saved Mai. "Oh, I'm Akira by the way. Akira Hayabusa. And this is Natsume Ichiya, my girlfriend. And this guy is Taro Kishinuma."

"You guys look like Junior High students," Mai said, looking at them. "Third years?"

"Second years," Akira corrected. "We're in the eighth grade."

(Okay, time for a bit of culture here. In Japan, Junior High goes from grades 7-9 and High School goes grades 10-12. So, Akira and company are in eighth grade, so they are Juniors, or second years, in Junior High. Mai and her friends are tenth graders, so they are Freshmen, or first years, in High School. Shizuma is in 6th grade, so next year, he'll be entering Junior High as a first year.)

"I'm a first year at Makuchei High School," Mai said. "Mai Yanagi."

"Well, Yanagi-san," Akira smiled. "We were going to get something to eat, since it was Sunday and all. Want to come with us?"

"Sure, why not?" Mai smiled. "And call me Mai. Where do you guys go to school?"

"Nakama Academy," Natsume said, smiling at Mai as the four began to walk down the sidewalk. "It's in Murakami."

"Never heard of it," Mai said. "Is it near here?"

"About a half an hour away," Akira said. "We took the train down here to get a bite to eat at a restaurant Taro knows."

"Nakama Academy, huh?" Mai asked. "Sounds pretty prestigious. Are you guys super geniuses or something?"

"Hardly," Taro laughed. "Most people just play video games. But we're guilty of that, too. Do you play 'The World', Mai?"

"Actually, yeah," Mai nodded, smiling. "I'm a Long Arm."

"Hey, so is Akira," Taro pointed to Akira. "But he's still a newbie."

"We're all still pretty low level," Natsume reminded Taro. "_Including_ you Taro."

"I actually got this from 'The World'," Mai said, lifting up her arm and showing off her arm guard to the three of them. "An…even present, if you will."

Taro looked at her with a slightly jealous expression. "Well, we got these from the game too. They're limited edition, the only ones of their kind!" he said, lifting his arm and pointing to Akira and Natsume's rings with his other hand.

"Only one?" Mai asked, her curiosity rising. "Do…they have special powers?"

"Taro," Akira looked at Taro with a dark expression. "Maybe we should stop talking now."

"So they _do_," Mai smiled. She paused, knowing that her next statement would basically be her jumping on thin ice, but she ignored her qualms and asked anyway. "Did you happen to get them from an NPC named Prisma?"

"Prisma?" Akira asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's nothing," Mai immediately said. "Just an event. I was curious if you had done it yet. But it was limited, I think it's gone now…"

"Do _you…_" Akira said, interrupting Mai and turning the question on her. "Do you know a woman named Celestia?"

Mai looked up at Akira and shook her head. "No…I…don't," she said slowly, and the four stopped walking. "But something tells me…"

"That your gauntlet…" Akira murmured.

"And our rings and bracelet have something to do with each other," Natsume said. "Tell me, can you data drain monsters with that ring?"

"Yeah…I can," Mai nodded, looking extremely surprised. "But I'm not the only one."

"Well obviously not!" Taro interrupted. "Because we can do it too!"

There was a pause, and Iam looked at the three students in front of her. "You…can data drain as well?"

Taro sighed and shook his head. "We'd better order the economy sized plate of sushi," he said, "because this is going to take awhile."

* * *

"So Celestia is the name of the girl who gave you those things?" Mai asked, biting into a piece of sushi. The four had found their way to Taro's favorite sushi restaurant, and were currently sitting at one of the low tables, helping themselves to a large circular box of the food. "And now you can data drain?"

"And Prisma is the name of the girl who gave you and your nine friends those gauntlets," Taro said. "And you've also got _ten_ enemies? I thought we were in trouble with three."

"They're called the 'Prism Players'?" Natsume asked. "And they've tried to kill you multiple times? That sounds really scary…"

"They're still after us," Mai said. "In fact…their leader…she killed one of my closest friends on the game."

"Oh my gosh!" Natsume gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "Is…is…are they…?"

"He's alive," Mai said. "But barely. He's comatose right now. I was visiting him before I came. That's why I was late."

"That sounds awful," Akira murmured. "I can't believe that something like that could actually happen…"

"He wasn't just my friend," Mai muttered. "He's my…he's my little brother."

Akira flinched slightly, and Natsume and Taro both looked down into their food. "I'm so sorry Mai," Natsume said, looking up across the table to where Mai and Taro were sitting. "It's difficult to think about something like that actually happening…"

"The worst thing about it was that Prisma was behind it," Mai said sharply, and the three looked up.

"Wait, I thought she was a good guy!" Taro interjected.

"So did we," Mai muttered. "But she's such a mystery, we're not really sure. Kalen isn't either…"

"Wait, you know Kalen?" Akira asked, looking up. Mai looked at him, and they exchanged confused glances. "He's the hacker that contacted me, remember guys?"

"Kalen's been working with us for awhile," Mai told him. "He's one of the reasons we got out of that jam with the Prism Players last time."

"Then maybe he can explain to us exactly what Celestia is," Akira said. "He seems pretty mysterious though."

"The Black Hacker," Mai nodded. "He seems suspicious at times, but he's all right. I can talk to him next time I see him."

"And you say that this other woman," Natsume continued, "Liesel Wearing, is trying to destroy 'The World' using Prisma?"

"Wiseman's theory is that Prisma is a virus put into the system by Liesel," Mai said. "And that Prisma was originally going to use us, the Prism Knights, to destroy 'The World'. But now…the Prism Players have taken that role over, using the Epitaph as a blueprint for their revenge on 'The World'."

"That sounds heavy," Taro sighed. "We still don't know what those three are after. Haruko, Atemis, and Zoisius. But they're weird customers with some weird Data Bugs."

"I can't believe that there are more hackers that can create data bugs," Mai murmured. "I wonder if Moyotu knows them."

"And what's this about the Prism Phases?" Akira asked. "Are those going to be made by the Prism Players as well?"

"The Prism Wave is coming soon," Mai murmured. "And it's up to us to stop it. If we do, then everyone will be cured from their comatose state. Including Shizuma…"

"Your brother?" Natsume asked and Mai nodded. "How old is he?"

"Twelve…" Mai said. "He'll be a first year in Junior High next year."

"We'll help too," Akira said suddenly, and Mai looked up. "We'll help stop the Prism Wave any way we can. After all, we have powers too, don't we guys?"

"I'm not sure Akira," Taro said, biting another piece of food. "We're still pretty fragmented, wouldn't you say?"

"Taro's right," Natsume said. "We don't have enough power to help right now…"

"Well, I can't just sit here and do nothing," Akira muttered, looking down at his lap. Natsume put her hand on his and he looked up at Mai. "Mai, my online name is Yamano. Just call me up whenever you need my help."

Taro sighed, "I'm Roat. I guess that goes for me too."

"Nabuko," Natsume pointed to herself. "And I'll help too Mai."

"I'm Iam," Mai said, smiling at the three of them. "You guys are great." She glanced up at the clock and sighed. "Well, I won't have much room for Chinese, but it's almost three. I should get going."

"Right, we should get back too," Akira nodded, standing up. "And we finished the food anyway. Let's get going guys."

"Thanks again you guys," Mai said. "See you again, okay?"

"Our pleasure," Natsume smiled, waving at Mai. "You're a nice person Mai. I hope that your brother gets better."

"Thanks Natsume," Mai smiled. "Bye Akira, bye Taro."

"Bye," Taro gave a short wave. "See you around."

"Yeah," Akira smiled warmly at Mai and she returned the smile. "See you again."

"Bye for now," Mai said as she walked out of the restaurant, leaving the three standing in the middle of the restaurant.

* * *

"Hey guys! I'm here!" Mai gasped, running into the Chinese restaurant to see her seven friends sitting at a table. "Sorry I'm late, I ran into someone on the way."

"No big deal," Hiromi smiled. "We were early anyway."

"Sit down Mai," Fuko said, pointing to the seat next to Hiromi at the large table. Mai sat down and looked over at the table. "Tiyra and Sersen aren't here yet."

"You never know, they could be here and we wouldn't have recognized them," Sota said, shrugging. "Did we arrange some sort of signal?"

"Tiyra told me in her text message that she'd be wearing a white sweater," Ayumi piped up, showing off the message on her cell phone. "So we'll just have to wait for a woman in a white sweater."

"Ayumi, did it ever occur to you that we'd recognize them because they both had huge gloves on?" Sean asked, and Ayumi turned a bright red.

"I hope they won't mind we already help ourselves to food!" Sota grinned, slurping a bit of soup. "Man, this stuff is great! Try some, Fuko!"

"I'd rather not drink soup that full of your saliva, thanks," Fuko frowned, narrowing her eyebrows.

"Guys, look!" Ayumi stood up and looked at the door of the restaurant. The group immediately turned their heads and almost gasped as they saw two people walk into the restaurant.

The first was a woman with extremely long white hair. Mai raised an eyebrow at the woman's already shock white hair, especially since she looked to be only in her twenties or early thirties. But Mai then realized the brown roots that showed ever so slightly under her now obviously dyed hair. The woman kept her long white mane in a pink ponytail holder, and the locks fells to her knee caps. She wore a white sweater and a long pale pink skirt along with pink slip on shoes.

The man behind her looked about her age and had black hair in a shaggy cut style with grayish highlights throughout it. He had a piercing in his left ear, and he was wearing a black tee-shirt with band "Miasma"' logo on it, and a pair of baggy black jeans along with black sneakers. They both had on arm guards and…

"The rings!" Ayumi shouted. "Tiyra! Sersen, over here!"

The two turned their heads and smiled at the sight of the eight people waiting for them. The two people nodded to one another and sat down at the two remaining seats at the table, sitting next to each other.

"Wow! It's great to meet you guys!" Mai said.

"Damn straight!" Ryoko nodded. "Let me guess…Tiyra," she pointed to the woman, "and Sersen?" she pointed to the man.

"How'd you guess?" Sersen laughed. It was now obvious, from his voice, that he was the player of their werewolf friend.

"Nice to meet you too," Tiyra smiled, leaning on the table with her elbow. "I see some of us already ordered," she looked at Sota, who then choked on his soup, making everyone laugh as Fuko hit his back as he coughed. "Anyway, introductions?"

"I'm Iam," Mai said. "My real name is Mai Yanagi."

"Hiromi Mimura," Hiromi said, pointing to himself. "I'm Orizo."

"Chikoro here!" Ayumi grinned. "Ayumi Kanzaki at your service!"

"The proud and valiant Zaiten," said Souchirou. "Souchirou Hibiki, in real life."

"And I'm Ryoko Watanabe," Ryoko said, throwing her dark hair over her shoulder. "Gabriella in game."

"Sean McGuire," Sean said. "Achean."

"American?" Tiyra asked, raising an eyebrow. "Or Irish?"

"Do you hear an accent?" Sean asked rudely.

"Yeah, but not an Irish one," Sersen laughed and Sean blushed slightly at the teasing. "Your pronunciation sucks."

Sean frowned, "No it doesn't…"

"Your brain sucks," Tiyra laughed, punching Sersen in the arm. "So it's a wonder you can even talk."

"Enough, children," Fuko laughed. "I'm Fuko Ikibana, Vizota."

"And I'm Sota Kaji," Sota introduced himself, winking. "Pleased to meet you two."

"I guess it's our turn, huh?" Tiyra sighed and looked at Sersen. "Well, I'm Tiyra, as you all know. Tokiko Kiriyama is my real name, age twenty-seven. I'm a journalist."

"More like a fact checker," Sersen corrected, and Tokiko sighed. "But hey, she's great. I've read her stuff."

"I'm still pretty on the lower rung," Tokiko said. "But I'll get my own beat soon enough."

"So you're not a student after all…" Sean said, eager to get back at the two for their teasing of his accent.

"Sorry, I lied," Tiyra shrugged. "I'm a little…protective about my personal life."

"Well, my turn," Sersen said. "I'm Sersen, and my real name is Keita Kiriyama, age twenty-eight. I'm a lighting designer, and I mostly do band gigs and night club stuff."

"Wow! You two have really cool jobs!" Ayumi smiled. "Can you interview us for your stories, Kiriyama-san? And Kiriyama-san, you have to let us into one of your night clubs! And--" Ayumi stopped.

Everyone turned to the two, their eyes as wide as dinner plates as they stared at the two with wide eyes. "Y-your…last names are the same," Sota muttered.

"Don't tell me…you're…" Ryoko began, and then gulped. "BROTHER AND SISTER!"

"NO!" Both Tokiko and Keita screamed and slammed their left arms on the table, showing off their fingers. The gang looked at the hands of the two. Keita's hand, covered with a guard and his signature black ring on his ring finger, also had a silver band right above his black ring. Tokiko's hand was bare of a guard or ring, and on her left ring finger was a beautiful white gold ring with a rose colored diamond encrusted into it.

"N-no way…" Ayumi murmured, her jaw resting comfortably on the table. "_You _two are…"

"You're…" said Hiromi.

"You're…" Sean muttered.

"You're…" Fuko continued.

"Married?" Mai finished, looking at the two.

"Ding, ding, ding," Tokiko muttered sarcastically. Her expression made it obvious why she hadn't wanted to meet the others in person. "We have a winner."

* * *

"You were so beautiful at your wedding, Kiriyama-san!" Ayumi cooed as the girls flipped through Keita and Tokiko's wedding album.

"Call me Tokiko," Tokiko said, sighing as she poured tea for the guests. After the restaurant, they had all returned to Tokiko's and Keita's spacious apartment. Keita was currently showing the guys his huge TV and small lighting studio while the girls ooed and aaahed over the two's wedding pictures. "The "san" thing makes me feel old."

"You look so beautiful," Mai said, pointing to the picture of Tokiko in a long strapless dress, her hair gathered into a bun at the top of her head with the rest falling down. "Why's your hair white?"

"Well, Keita and I were pretty punkish in our youth," Tokiko joked. "Actually, I just thought it would be cool. Do you think it's weird?"

"No, it suits you!" Mai shook her head. "White hair suits you!"

"And it's so long," Ayumi commented.

"I've never cut my hair," Tokiko grinned. "I guess I'm afraid to do so."

"Afraid of cutting you hair?" Fuko asked. "Whatever for?"

"Well, if I cut it, and I don't like it, it'll take forever to grow back," Tokiko shrugged. "I like it like this, but I'll have to cut it sooner or later. Hey boys! The tea's ready!"

"I must say, Keita-san, this is a very impressive studio," Souchirou said as the men sat in the next room, a mini-lighting studio filled with hanging lights and a board. "I could talk to my father and have you do the lighting for the next Hibiki sponsored charity performance."

"Thanks kid, but Tokiko's got the tea ready," Keita said, grabbing Hiromi before he touched a large light. "That one's on."

"Oh! Sorry!" Hiromi laughed. "There are so many different types."

"That there's a source-four," he said, pointing to the light. "And I keep my six by nines over there, and my six by twelves are in that corner. Want to hang some?"

"Keita! Get your butt in here!" Tokiko snapped. "And stop endangering the lives of those innocent children with your crazy lights!"

"Oh c'mon, it's perfectly safe!" Keita laughed, walking through the door, the other boys following him. "Don't be such a worry-wart. Hey, do you guys want a tour of the apartment?"

"The tea's gonna get cold," Tokiko reminded him.

"That's why I bought a microwave!" Keita laughed, only to be greeted by a punch to the head from Tokiko.

"You don't microwave Japanese tea, idiot! Fine, a tour. But when we come back to cold tea, you'll have to drink every last cup!" she snapped.

"C'mon Tokiko!" Keita laughed, but Tokiko had already started the tour.

"This is our living room," she said, "and through there is Keita's studio. The next room is our bedroom, and through there is the bathroom and next to the bedroom is my office. The kitchen is right through that door," she pointed to the door frame that led to a small kitchen.

"You call _that_ a tour?" Keita joked. "Oh yeah, the tea's _so_ cold, I bet."

"Well, sir, maybe you would like to give them a more _extensive_ tour?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"We're fine," Mai laughed, picking up her tea cup and taking a sip. "And the tea's delicious Tokiko."

"Thanks cutie," Tokiko smiled, sitting next to Mai and taking a sip.

"No offense, but you two don't really _act _like a married couple," Ayumi brought up shyly. "I mean, all you ever do is pick on each other and act violent…"

"Well, we've got a different way of expressing love I guess," Keita shrugged.

"Hey, I'm more than happy that you guys aren't going all kissy-face on us," Ryoko muttered, drinking her tea and putting one arm on the back of the couch.

"Do you two have any children?" Mai asked. Tokiko paused and set down her cup.

"No…no children," she shook her head. "We've…been talking…about it though."

"Yeah," Keita laughed. "But can you imagine _me _a father?"

"Oh man, it's almost six!" Ayumi looked at a clock and gasped. "I should be home soon. I've still got homework."

"Putting it off for the last minute, as usual," Mai narrowed her eyes. "But we should get going soon."

"We'll see you to the door," Tokiko told them, smiling as the others stood up. "Thanks for coming to visit. Don't hesitate to come by, you know?"

"See you in-game guys!" Mai told them. "It was great to meet you two."

"Great to meet you kids too," Keita smiled as the ring holders began to file out their apartment door. "See you around, you know? Don't be strangers."

"We won't be," Hiromi assured them. "Goodbye!"

The last of the group filed out of the door, and Tokiko shut it behind them, turning to Keita. "Cute kids, right?"

"Right," Keita smiled, slipping his arms around her waist. "Real cute kids. Nice to meet our friends."

* * *

"I can't believe this day," Mai sighed as she and Hiromi walked home together. "First I meet Akira and his friends, and then we find out that Tiyra and Sersen are actually married, of all things!"

"Those three you met," Hiromi murmured. "I'm positive that they have something to do with Prisma and Aura. Or at least with 'The World''s mysteries."

"I'm sure too," Mai nodded. "And we've got a new mystery on our hands. This weird 'Celestia'."

"We have enough mysteries on our hands," Hiromi sighed. "One more is the _last _thing we need."

"Well, I 'can't just sit here and do nothing'," Mai smiled, quoting Akira. Hiromi turned to her and smiled back.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he said. "We can't just sit here and do nothing."

* * *

"Keita?"

"Mmhmm?"

"I love you."

"Love you too…"

"Are you even awake?"

"Mmhmm…"

Tokiko grabbed her pillow and thwacked her husband with it, making him open his eyes and frown at her. "I told you I was awake! Why'd you have to hit me?"

"You were so sleeping," she grinned, putting her pillow back. "Do you think we should have told them?"

"Told them what?" he asked, slipping his arms around her waist.

"The reason why we followed Iam? The attack from that Data Bug? The reason why we're ring holders?"

Keita paused. "It wouldn't have made a difference, you know. And they wouldn't understand anyway…"

"Perhaps not," Tokiko murmured. "But they still deserved to know."

"You're _going_ to get pregnant Tokiko," Keita said, turning her head to face him. "We're _going_ to have children. And what happened was _not_ your fault. It was that Data Bug's fault, you got that?"

"Yeah, I know," Tokiko murmured, stretching her arms around her husband's back and holding him. "I guess I know at least…"

"Good…"

"Hey Keita?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you like my hair white?" she asked, smiling up at him. He smiled back down.

"It makes you look badass," he said in a husky whisper before catching her lips in his own and kissing her softly.

* * *

Yay! The first kiss of the entire fic! (I think) And also TWO steady relationships in this chapter! Akira/Natsume and Tokiko/Keita! It's a MIRACLE I tell you!

So, were you guys surprised by Tokiko and Keita's relationship? Or were you all like "omfg, I totally knew that…" (sweatdrops) I hope you didn't think that…

Anway, Akira, Natsume, Celestia and Taro all belong to megafan505 and the fanfic "Dot hack: Chosen" which is an excellent fic! Check it out!

Okay, please leave a review! Thanks again!


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